


The Power of Hope

by SooperChicken



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Belief, Desire, Dreams, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Guardians - Freeform, Hope, Hostage Situations, Kidnapping, Lima Syndrome, Love, Magic, Obsession, Protection, Romance, Spells & Enchantments, Stockholm Syndrome, Supernatural Elements, Sweet, Sympathy, Understanding, Wish Fulfillment, Wishes, compassion - Freeform, darkness and light, powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2018-09-01 14:06:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8627434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SooperChicken/pseuds/SooperChicken
Summary: During the battle to preserve children's belief in the Guardians, Toothiana calls upon an old friend of hers to come and help in any way that she can. Now is your time to shine, and it just so happens that it is in your nature to do so...





	1. Wish Upon A Star

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I wrote this fanfiction after receiving a request from a lovely anon, saying that they would like to read a Pitch Black x Reader story, and so with a little bit more time on my hands I have been able to start writing it for them. I hope you all enjoy, especially the lovely person who requested it! So sorry for the wait, but thank you for your patience! ^-^
> 
> \- SooperChicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amid the chaos, Toothiana sees her way clear to execute the smallest of plans that could be key to gaining the upper hand in the fight against Pitch Black. So, she calls upon you, an old friend of hers. What will you be able to offer the Guardians?

The Guardians all stood around, watching the little girl prancing around at their feet playing games with the elves and Easter Eggs. Sophie Bennett was a sweet little girl, and like her, millions of children all over the world were in danger of losing their innocent belief in the wonders all around them, and those things that their parents no longer believed in themselves.

"What are we going to do?" muttered North, stroking his long white beard. "Pitch seems pretty serious to me..."

The Easter Bunny shrugged his shoulders as North glanced at him, floppy ears twitching as he did so. He had no idea what could be done about this situation that they had been dragged into, but the main thing was protecting the children that it would also affect. Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares, was hell-bent on making them believe in him and seeing fear take precedence over wonder and joy.

Bunnymund's warren was nowhere near as frosty and cold as North's workshop, but even so every so often a cool draught would make its way across the room and was enough to make everyone shiver. It was almost like an omen to them, a sign that further trouble was brewing. It would take more than just their four heads (five, including Baby Tooth's) to conjure a brilliant enough idea to stop Pitch in his tracks, and foil whatever plan he had concocted.

He was a formidable opponent, they all had to admit.

Everyone was silent for a good few minutes, trying to find something-- _anything_ \--to suggest to the others. There were so few things that they could actually do, and fighting back against Pitch was certainly one of them. But perhaps they needed someone to help them, someone who was actually somewhat immune to his powers and spells. But where could they find such a person?

Suddenly, Toothiana's eyes were ablaze and her face lit up with glee. "I think I might know someone who can help us...!" she babbled, whirling around excitedly in the air. "She's an old friend of mine..."

"Really?" said Jack, raising an eyebrow at the Tooth Fairy. "Who is she?"

"I think you'd know her if you saw her..." said Toothiana, smiling happily at him. She was quite pleased with her idea to call upon her friend. "But, we'll have to wait until after midnight..."

"Oh...Is she anything like Pitch himself, then?" said Jack, folding his arms across his chest. He didn't want to think about the possibility of bringing the female counterpart of their enemy into their midst.  _That_ could certainly prove catastrophic, and very detrimental to their efforts thus far.

"No, no! She's nothing like Pitch! In fact, she's probably his opposite," said the Tooth Fairy with an even brighter smile. "Plus, her powers aren't like ours. She could potentially withstand his attacks...If he could see his way clear to attack her in the first place,"

"What do you mean by that, Tooth?" said Bunnymund, slouching to one side in scepticism. He had no idea how the woman that Toothiana was talking about could either resist or avoid Pitch's assaults on their group, were she to join them. "And how do we even know that she'll help us?"

"Oh, she'll help as soon as she knows what's going on down here," said Toothiana. "And you'll see what I mean when she pays us a visit. We just have to stay in one place tonight, or she might not be able to find us in time,"

Everyone began to nod, looking at each other and smiling.

"Well, I guess we don't have many other options right now," said Bunnymund, folding his own arms now. "On the other hand, Easter is tomorrow and there are still plenty of preparations that need to be made..." he went on, making sure to add the suggestion of a hint for help with his finishing of the Easter eggs.

"Well then, let's get to work!" North announced, following the Easter Bunny through one of the warren's tunnels. Everyone else grinned and followed suit, ready to help however they could. Sophie, the little sister of a boy who Jack had shown the joys of winter not long before, ran after them.

-

The Guardians sat around in a circle, staring up at the night sky through a skylight in the warren's ceiling. It had already gone midnight, and they all felt the pressure as time ticked steadily away from them. Every minute was crucial in terms of keeping Pitch at bay.

"How much longer, Tooth?" said Jack, glancing over at the fairy.

"She shouldn't be too far away now..." said Toothiana, shaking her head slightly as though to qualify her response. "Not long now..."

"What exactly are we looking for? I can only see the stars," said Jack.

Toothiana didn't reply this time, but the light from those stars reflected in her big eyes as she continued to gaze up at the inky night sky. She knew for a fact that it wouldn't be long now...

Another ten minutes passed, when suddenly there was a bright flash of light as a shooting star streaked across the blanket of darkness above them. Toothiana gasped and made her wish, then closed her eyes tightly.

-

"You all saw that shooting star, right?!" said the Tooth Fairy, turning to her friends and gabbling excitedly.

"Yeah, why...?" said Bunnymund, wondering what had Toothiana all aflutter like this.

"That's exactly what we needed!"

"But  _why_ _?"_

Toothiana grinned at the Easter Bunny and turned back to the night sky. "You'll see in a minute..."

Sure enough, a minute later, a bright light began to shine in the warren around the Guardians, and they all turned to try to look at its source. They were blinded, momentarily, by the dazzling white light before it faded and suddenly there stood a radiantly beautiful woman with (H/L), (H/C) hair and twinkling (E/C) eyes. You.

"Good evening, Toothiana," you said with a beautiful, serene smile. "You called?"

Toothiana leaped up and flung herself at you, hugging you tightly and squealing with delight. "Oh, Wish! It's so good to see you again; I knew you'd come!"

"Of course! How could I resist? It's good to see you too, old friend," you said, hugging her back. You were almost smacked in the face by her rapidly beating sparkly wings but that was alright; you were both thrilled to see each other again, after all. You were surprised that your light wasn't shining bright enough to blind everyone like you had upon arrival.

"Oh, let me introduce you to everyone else," said Toothiana, letting go of you suddenly. "This is Jack Frost, E. Aster Bunnymund and Nicholas St. North. And this is Baby Tooth!"

"A pleasure to meet you all," you said gently, holding out a hand to Baby Tooth who had flown up to you in her excitement. Everyone simply stared at you, but you didn't really notice out of modesty.

"Everyone, this is Wish! At least, that's what people call her...She's a shooting star!" said Toothiana, seemingly thrilled to be able to introduce you to the Guardians. "The Queen of them, actually!"

You blushed a little to hear her say that. You didn't often think about your position or your role; you simply granted the wishes of people who wished upon you and your starlets. Only now did you notice the eyes of the Guardians resting on you with such interest.

"So...You grant people's wishes?" said Bunnymund.

"Yes," you said sweetly. "We stars are in league with the birthday spirits and those of wishing wells and fountains,"

"Really?" said Jack, finding himself slightly enraptured by your beauty and charm. "What about the Genie, the Leprechaun and the Fairy Godmother?"

"We all work together, in a sense," you told him in a kind voice. Your eyes sparkled like the stars themselves and your smile could have lit new ones in the sky. "But I can sense that something is amiss here...Is something the matter, Toothiana?"

The Tooth Fairy turned to you and looked at you with sad, watery eyes, as though she was about to burst into tears. "Pitch Black has returned, and he is destroying children's beliefs, all over the world, in us,"

Your face crumpled slightly, and your (E/C) eyes grew a little wet with tears as well. "Would you care for some assistance, then?" you asked, offering to aid them before they even asked.

"Yes please! I know that you're busy every day and night, granting wishes all the time, but I think that you're the only one who may be invulnerable to Pitch's attacks..."

You stood there in silence for a moment, seriously considering what Toothiana had just told you. You had already offered your help, and you stood by that decision, but you had to really think about the threat that the King of Nightmares could pose to you. You were just a star, after all...

"I will help in any way that I can," you vowed, looking to all of them in turn and nodding resolutely. "Just say the word and I will do everything in my power to either preserve or restore the belief of those children in you,"

"That's the thing, though!" said Toothiana, before anybody else could. "I thought that, if we wish upon a star, you would be able to do exactly what you just said even if Pitch conspires against us all! In theory, your power should outmatch his!"

You didn't smile, because you didn't know if that truly was the case. Something as absolute as fear was not the same as something like one's heart's desire. If anything, they would cancel each other out because they were so different. They were not even the opposite of each other. Fear and darkness was one thing, while desperately wanting something was another.

"I will do my best,"

"Thank you so much, Star..." said the Tooth Fairy, hugging you again. She knew that you would do all that you could, but of course--as with all things--there was no guarantee. Yes, you were powerful, but you were not a Guardian and you were not on Pitch's hit list. Nor were you a foolproof secret weapon; of course there were things that you were afraid of, so you would not be immune to Pitch's ability to sense a person's greatest fear, but at least there were steps that you could take towards remedying the damage to children's beliefs that he had already caused.

You smiled at all of the Guardians, forgetting your worries for now. "So. When, and where, do we begin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> I know it seems like I’m starting loads of new fanfictions when I haven’t even finished the others that I’ve started, but recently my brain has become rather flush with ideas for new works and I just had to get them down on paper (ish).
> 
> As I mentioned in the note at the beginning of the story, this work was a request made by a lovely anon a couple of weeks ago. Since I was able to watch the movie today, I decided that I would quickly get to work on a fanfiction for it as I think the request has waited long enough, and I apologise for the long delay. I do, however, hope that you will enjoy this little story (I don’t think it’ll end up being too long) and I apologise if it is a bit different to my usual writing style; it’s just a case of experimenting with different fandoms! ^-^
> 
> \- SooperChicken
> 
> P.S.: Sorry for the long end note!


	2. The Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time for you to sit down with the Guardians and formulate a plan of action against Pitch. You've never crossed paths with the man before, never had cause to, so you are equal parts apprehensive and curious. What is he like? How powerful is he? How much of a THREAT is he? You have so many questions which need answering, but you have a feeling that the only one who can answer them is not among your friends...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> So...It's been a while. A LONG while. I am so sorry for my absence, and for leaving this story unfinished for so many months! You've all been so patient, and I hope you've all been well, so I will do my very best now to write something that fits nicely with the pre-existing first chapter and something that I hope you can enjoy!
> 
> My love to you all,  
> SooperChicken

You sit quietly between Tooth and North, listening to Bunnymund voicing his opinion on the situation. You found his, and your other allies', knowledge of your foe very enlightening, and found yourself grateful for the insight they were giving you. And so far, Bunnymund had been the only one to come up with a halfway feasible idea for how to at least corner Pitch Black.

It was risky, but you had no objections.

"So, the way I see it...The guy'd be crazy to ignore the presence of a star,"

"Wait, you're saying we use Wish as  _bait?!_ " gasped the colourful fairy beside you, absolutely mortified by the Easter Bunny's suggestion. "We can't do that to her...It's too dangerous!"

Her wings were beginning to beat with such speed that you could feel the small whirlwind being whipped up just behind you. Toothiana was very close to clipping you with those glittery wings of hers, but that didn't bother you either. Just the fact that your friend was worried about your safety was enough to make you feel content.

"Don't worry, my dear," you said soothingly to her. "I agree with Bunnymund. I am Pitch Black's opposite; it stands to reason that, if he's going to come after anyone now, it'll be me. I don't mind,"

"Opposites attract, eh?" chuckled North. "Ah, joking aside...He is dangerous man. You're  _sure_ you are up to the task?"

You beamed up at him from where you sat on his right. His bulky, red-clad shoulder was difficult to see over, but your eyes peeked over just enough to lock gazes with him. "I'm certain. I am not a Guardian--as such, as I have already said--so he will not be expecting me,"

"And what will you do when he finds you?" asked Toothiana worriedly.

"I'll think of something," you said with a grin, looking straight at Jack. Your powers, although unique to you and unobtainable by other stars, were quite similar in form to those of Jack. You had seen, during episodes of idle fidgeting on his part, beautiful snowflakes forming at his will and fluttering around. It made you wonder if he could summon more powerful abilities. You had yet to see those for yourself, but you knew that he hadn't come this far without being able to fight.

"Oh, I can't wait to see this..." chuckled Bunnymund. "Right, I didn't get this far with my plan, but...How are we gonna get him to come to us?"

You smiled again and stood. As you walked forwards, across the soft grass of Bunnymund's warren, you fluttered your fingers playfully in front of you and said, "Glitter," with a giggle. The large rabbit standing nearby was dumbfounded for a moment, before realising what you were really saying.

You would use your natural light.

"And where should we start?" he asked.

"Somewhere dark..." you replied, looking up towards the night sky. You could really appreciate the number of skylights in these tunnels. "He'll be in his element, but the stars are always at their brightest amid the night..."

You looked at the group before you, the motley crew you had just fallen into, and smiled. Your serenity, you had been told, was soothing and encouraging. So you would do your best to do that for your new comrades. You looked up again, into the inky black sky, and through that single hole in the ceiling you saw hundreds of thousands of other stars, gleaming in the darkness like white beads on a tapestry.

A bright, eye-catching star shot past the skylight, leaving a white trail behind her.

You smiled, knowing in your heart that they were up there.

-

Jack led you all to the frozen lake he seemed so attached to, for reasons you were yet unsure of. This had been because nobody, not even you, had been able to decide where exactly to spring the trap on Pitch Black. At night, plenty of places away from towns and cities were dark enough for a star to shine as luminously as you were intending, but you needed somewhere...Safe. Far enough away from children that fear incarnate could not affect their slumber.

"I've already seen him near here a few times..." said Jack, glancing around cautiously. He had his staff tilted at an angle, poised to retaliate to any sudden attacks. There were no sounds to be heard, save the wind softly whispering through the bare boughs of the nearby trees. Their branches swayed and their bark creaked and moaned gently in the breeze, and occasionally the wind blew strongly enough to displace the snow settled all around you. The full moon glinted off the ice beneath your feet, and you looked down to see only your reflection staring back at you. The ice itself was perfectly clear, but strong enough to support you.

For now, you thought.

"We'll hide somewhere out of sight," said Jack, floating up into the air. "We should spread out a little,"

"Good idea," you said. You still didn't have much of an idea of what you would do once Pitch Black came for you-- _if_ he came for you. Some kind of stellar magic, you supposed. But still, you hadn't the foggiest what to expect from so-called King of Nightmares. Would you even see him coming, if he could become nothing more than shadow on a whim?

"Hey, I believe in you," said Toothiana, flitting up to you and giving you a warm hug. "We're all nervous, but I know you're strong enough to at least subdue him..."

"I hope so," you said with a soft smile. "I must confess, I've never had to fight anyone before,"

The Tooth Fairy grinned at you. "I'm sure you'll be amazing!" she said with great conviction, eyes twinkling. "Now, go get him, girlfriend!"

You wanted to laugh. She was sweet, positively saccharine, even, and her attempt to speak like humans did nowadays was utterly adorable. You remembered her mentioning, once, that her fairies had been collecting the loose teeth of children for over four hundred years, now, and had not been doing so herself. She was an old soul, like yourself, but she still seemed to be keeping up with the times.

"Thanks, Tooth," you said with a kind, calm smile. You left her with a hug of your own, before watching her dart away behind a nearby boulder.

Now, all you had to do was summon the brightest light you could...and hold it.

You took a deep breath, steadying your heartbeat, and slowly exhaled. The Guardians watched as you began to glow, dimly at first, then gradually brighter until at last they couldn't stand to look at you for fear of burning holes in their retinas. It was like watching a supernova occurring before their eyes, a bright white halo surrounding and then consuming you for what seemed like an eternity.

"Shostakovich..." cursed North, shielding his eyes further and ducking lower behind the mound of snow he was sitting beside. Bunnymund created a hood from his ears to protect himself from your light, and retreated as far into the shadow of the tree as he could. He never thought he would seek darkness as he was doing now, but there would be nothing to see in the light, either...

_"Well, if we can't see anything, neither will Pitch,"_ he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, you were busy putting out as much energy as you could, while reserving enough to use against Pitch in the event of his appearance. You wondered if he would fall for the trick, if he would be taken in by such a bright light appearing in what he would, by now, consider to be his territory. At least, you thought, none of you had wasted any time in coming up with a plan and putting it into action.

You didn't know how much longer you could keep it up--after all, you weren't in possession of infinite amounts of energy--but you were trying. You had noticed the change in the wind, though, and through your own glow you peered out into the snowy night. Shadows were approaching from all sides, great, looming beasts with yellow eyes and unlike anything you had ever seen before. But, rather than afraid, they made you inquisitive.

Your light faded, glare subsiding, and you looked out across the lake. The monstrous shades surrounding you were all horses, like something out of a horror story, but terribly fascinating to you. They were like what you imagined the Sandman to conjure, but at the other end of the scale. These were black, and frightful, and sat on the back of the tallest horse was a man. He had dark, swept-back but slightly dishevelled hair, sharp facial features and piercing golden eyes like those of his equine army. His skin was pale grey, as though no blood flowed beneath.

And he never once took his eyes off you, even as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other. He seemed fixated. You felt slightly unnerved, but you supposed that to get him here came with its consequences. Naturally, once he realised who, and what, you were--if he hadn't worked it out already--he would pursue you and the power you wielded.

And you were bound by rules, just as the other wishing spirits were...

Pitch Black rode forward on his Nightmare, pure darkness swirling at the creature's hooves. The ice crackled underneath them, but did not crack completely. He dismounted in one fluid, deliberate motion, but he seemed in no hurry.

_"Surely he must know that I'm not alone..."_ you mused. Your (E/C) eyes locked with his cold yellow ones, unsettling though they were. You wondered what your friends would do, especially with so many of Pitch's minions to get past to reach you, to come to your aid.

"Well, well..." he began, slowly as though testing the waters. He didn't even know if you could speak. "...What have we here? It couldn't  _possibly_ be a fallen star, could it?"

Already, you disliked his tone. You couldn't tell where he was going with what he was saying. Whether he would attack, or simply interrogate you. Either way, you had little to say to him. He could not take children's belief in the Guardians...It was too cruel.

"...Can she speak...?" he chuckled.

"What do you want me to say?" you growled.

"Ah! So she does have a voice..." he said, coming closer. He now stood only a short distance from you, and his proximity to you was now uncomfortable. You couldn't gauge him; he was an unknown quantity and that didn't sit right with you. Not knowing someone...that uncertainty...was what sent shivers down your spine. "Tell me, little star...Why are you  _really_ all the way down here?"

He closed the gap between you, then. You had nowhere to go; there was a rock face behind you, too high to scale but even though you could levitate like Jack--and Pitch--it was for that very reason that you knew you could not escape. He would capture you in an instant, especially with your back turned.

"I heard about what you're trying to do," you told him pointedly.

Pitch slowly raised his head until he was facing the sky. He closed his eyes equally slowly, before letting loose an incredulous "ha!" at your response. "And you're going to do what, exactly? Stop me? Help the  _Guardians?_ "

The sneering tone of voice he used then, when referring to the Guardians with such contempt, told you everything you needed to know, indeed, everything you knew already. He was well aware that you weren't alone out there.

"You're not even one of them. Why do you care?" he snickered. Then, unmistakably, you saw it dawning on his face, in his eyes. "You're not just a star, are you?" he growled. His eyes misted over slightly, leaving no doubt in your mind that he was being consumed by thoughts of power. Your power, to be commanded by him. You couldn't step back any further; the small cliff was right behind you now.

"You're a  _shooting_ star, aren't you?" he chuckled. "How interesting..."

As you kept a careful eye on him, you saw in your peripheral the sneaking, shadowy tendrils of darkness snaking towards you. The horses held their ground, some stamping impatiently but none of them advancing on your position. Only Pitch approached you further, forcing you to press your back up against the stone. Now cornered, you were left with one choice and one choice only.

With a quick, bright flash of light, you unleashed a burst of energy and stardust, causing Pitch to leap out of the way to save himself from the sudden explosion. However, he was left vigorously rubbing his eyes to rid them of the dust you had attacked him with. Now, the Nightmares were drawing nearer, snorting angrily and gnashing their teeth like wild dogs. You summoned two stars, small enough to hold, and wielded them like Jack sometimes played with snowflakes. The first thing you could think to do was throw them, flinging them expertly like shurikens. You took out two of the horses, then two more as the stars unexpectedly boomeranged back around to you.

Hearing the commotion, your friends all leaped from their hiding places and charged towards the lake, brandishing their respective weapons. You could hear them screaming, a collective battle-cry, and--for those of them on the ground--their feet crunching as quickly as they could through the snow. But for all their enthusiasm and valour, it was all in vain.

You floated just above the lake, now, shooting beams of light at the Nightmares and throwing your miniature stars at them until they disappeared...but more came. And more kept coming until you realised that you were fighting a losing battle.

You'd lost sight of Pitch, too. You had no idea where he was. That was until you felt something tight winding itself around your waist...You looked down, and saw a vine of black sand wrapping itself around you like a python of pure dread. This was not what you were afraid of, though. You were fairly certain that he would suss you out eventually, being the entity that he was with his ability to learn people's deepest fears, but he had not found it yet.

"Gah...!" you yelped as the tendril squeezed you tighter. It was constricting you just below your ribs, in the fleshy part of your body, and pushing in on your vitals. It hurt terribly, but you were distracted by the sight of your friends fighting bravely down below. Desperately, you attempted to assist them, trying to shine as brightly as you could...

You heard Pitch laughing cruelly, somewhere behind you. "Look at you, little one. Struggling against the tide of fear...It's hopeless. Just let it take you..."

He sounded...eerie, almost as though he wasn't really there but in an entirely different plane of existence. A different dimension. You were familiar with these, but you knew better than to think that Pitch wasn't really there. He was behind you, a safe distance away maybe, but close enough to taunt you while you writhed in pain.

All of your energy was gone. You could no longer shine, no longer blind the abominations attacking your friends. This was not how it was supposed to happen, not how you had all envisioned your battle...

But, you vowed to yourself that, whatever the outcome of this battle, you would not die and you would not be afraid. And you would see your promise to help the Guardians through to the end. Pitch Black would not triumph. And one day, it would be time for a head-to-head battle between two very different beings.

A clash of elements, almost. The light, versus the dark.

These were your last thoughts before the darkness overwhelmed you. Not Pitch's darkness, but the blanket of blackness that accompanied a loss of consciousness. When you came around, you would put your mind to work once more, while you gathered your energy and power once more.

And if Pitch continued down this cursed path, he would be made to see how ill-fated his goals were. There would most certainly be a reckoning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...
> 
> I'm not sure how this update went, but as always, feel free to comment and let me know what you thought. I've grown a little rusty in the time I've spent not writing, so I hope I still managed to churn out something enjoyable! If you folks have any constructive tips or ideas, please do let me know!
> 
> Otherwise, hope you liked the new chapter! I've resolved to update more often, and get some of these fanfics that I've started finished! That said, you can expect some new material *relatively* soon! (Still gotta earn some money in the meantime!!)
> 
> All my love (again!),  
> SooperChicken


	3. In The Hall Of The Nightmare King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first confrontation with Pitch Black did not go according to plan. You awaken in a cold, dimly-lit room with a pounding headache. There is no sound, save the distant howling of the wind...above you? And you are all alone.
> 
> What will you do now?

The sensation of something being very wrong was what woke you from your dreamless slumber. Your eyes fluttered open without urgency, but you scrambled onto all-fours as you realised that this was not your bed, in your cosy room back in the Star Palace. A place that was your own, big enough for you and your starlets to live in, and one that kept you safe from discovery by humans and the dangers of the world around you.

They were not normally something that would bother you, though, not even when you were out and about. But now...

The room in which you found yourself was dark, and its atmosphere was brooding. You didn't feel at all welcome, but at the same time you realised that leaving was not an option. You saw that you were imprisoned within a cage, although not bound as you might have expected as a captive, and somewhere beyond those cold walls the wind howled. It was a distant sound, and the room seemed so much hollower for it.

Looking around, you realised that your cage was suspended high above the ground, and around you were a great many other cages. Now that your eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting, you could see that the floor below was littered with golden, cylindrical boxes, and inside the other cages were small figures although you could make out little more than silhouettes in the gloom.

You did not struggle, knowing that the person who put you there did not do so lightly. He would not leave you there unsupervised if he thought that you could escape...

Unless there was some way to break free that he hadn't thought of, or...You weren't unsupervised at all.

You stood up straight, wobbling on your feet as the cage swung from the high ceiling, and took the single step over to the mesh that served as a barrier to prevent your escape. Gripping the mesh as securely as you could, you steadied yourself and gazed out across the room and through the murk. You inhaled again, although not as deeply as you had while trying to attract Pitch's attention the first time around. Your natural light began to glow, and pierced through the darkness.

In the cages were...fairies, you realised. Toothiana's. And sleeping. Panic filled you as the full reality of your situation dawned on you. Pitch Black was making better progress than you had given him credit for...But perhaps you had underestimated him to begin with. You hadn't known what he was really capable of...and now you were trapped, along with the Tooth Fairy's workers.

You retreated into the centre of the cage and sat there, pulling your knees up to your chin and hugging them tightly. You could not remember the last time you felt so alone.

A cold, cruel chuckle rang out through the great hall. You knew that you were being watched. You weren't a fool.

"So the little star has no fight left in her?" said Pitch, rising up to meet your eyes. You saw that he was not levitating, but standing on a pillar of that black sand he used as a weapon. "Good. Conversations are always much more reasonable when everybody's calm,"

You stared straight into his yellow eyes, challenging him unintentionally. Pitch Black felt an unusual chill make its way up his spine. It was unlike him to feel discomfort under even the most scrutinising of gazes. He was fear itself, after all...

"I want to know why you were with the Guardians," growled Pitch, moving closer to the cage. The sands shifted beneath his feet, and to you it looked as though he was floating. You bristled slightly at his question and looked away, refusing to answer. He had enough reasons to go after the Guardians as it was. Pitch frowned at you, seeing now that you were not going to cooperate. "Answer me..." he said slowly. "...and I won't have to force it out of you,"

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" you bit back, surprising yourself with your own hostility. Normally you were such a placid being, with no malice or hatred about you. Now, a fire had been sparked within you and it was beginning to burn with great intensity. You did not hate the man, but you were certain that all of your negative energy right now was being directed at him.

You wished that you hadn't ever asked him that question.

An arm of glittering black sand shot through the cage, bypassing every diamond-shaped gap in the mesh, and wrapped itself around your neck. It was tight, but did not squeeze. It was only meant to frighten you. Your eyes grew wide at the thought of being throttled, but the expression on Pitch's face was blank, with only a hint of emotion flickering behind his eyes. He was merely interested in the situation, you could see that. He didn't care that he might be hurting you...

Suddenly the sandy tendril released you, flinging you backwards in the process. Your back slammed against the cage, the clang of metal resounding throughout the cave. You heard rapid, frantic squeaking all around you, and realised the sleeping tooth fairies were all awake now. Pitch glanced over his shoulder, without feeling, and waved a dismissive, authoritative hand to silence them.

You raised yourself from the cage floor, the cage itself still swinging from the impact of your fall. Pitch turned his head slowly, eyes returning to you. They burned into you, but yours burned back with equal intensity, their piercing (E/C) hue cutting right into him.

"Consider that your warning," he murmured, in an almost disinterested tone of voice. "You're in no position to be challenging me,"

You glared at him, resisting his attempt to intimidate you. Still you refused to be forthcoming with information about the Guardians, and maintained your stubborn silence. The King of Nightmares simply smirked at you.

"Well, if we're not going to be civil, how about we take a break from all this? Some time out might help..."

You knew what that meant, even without clarification. He chuckled again, more quietly this time, and turned his back on you. Angrily, you let loose a low growl from the bottom of your throat, but you attempted nothing more. You watched as Pitch retreated from you, and then as he disappeared into the shadows. The fairies were still quiet after he had bade them so, and none made so much as a squeak after he left. You scanned the darkness for any signs of movement, but there was nothing to be seen. For now, you genuinely felt as though Pitch Black was gone.

You took a deep breath and exhaled quietly, feeling all of the air draining from your lungs. A great pressure was lifted from your chest, but something still weighed on your shoulders. It was guilt, you knew, for what you felt was a failure on your part to help the Guardians bring down Pitch Black. You closed your eyes and let the darkness wash over you.

If Pitch was going to leave you by yourself, the only thing you could do for now was sleep...You knew better than to try to escape from the shadows themselves...

-

You awoke what seemed a lifetime later. You had dreamt of nothing, a bleak and uneventful slumber. You supposed that was preferable, though, to the nightmares you could have had instead. It made you wonder if Pitch had spared you that, or if your own brightness and good nature as a star kept the bad dreams at bay.

Regardless, you knew that he would be back to taunt you at any moment.

You sat up from the cold cage floor and looked around again. As before, everything was quiet. This time, you couldn't even hear the wind howling outside. The fairies were silent, and the darkness was still...

Until something shifted suddenly, and the shadows began encroaching on you. Soon, the now-familiar yellow eyes of Pitch Black could be seen in the murk.

"Hello, little one," he said gently, although not exactly kindly. He was going to interrogate you again, you knew. "It isn't yet morning...So, a star should be at the peak of her strength, should she not?"

You sighed, exasperated that not only had he come back pestering you for information (as you knew he would) but that it also was not yet morning. You felt as though you must have slept through the entire night...

"...What's this about, Pitch?" you said, with resignation in your voice. He seemed quietly delighted by your submission. At least, that's what he thought he was seeing right now.

"I think you know, but I will ask again anyway. What do the Guardians want with you, a star?" he growled, looking you straight in the eyes. You looked away from him, and at the cage floor. You knew that he was going to ask you that, but you needed to seem reasonable, at least, and ask him what was going on. Now, it was your turn to be tricky.

"Well...My question pertained more to why you've kidnapped me, but..."

You heard Pitch growl slightly at your remark. "Don't be a wise-mouth," he muttered irritably. "Just answer _my_ question,"

You sighed again and shook your head. "You must have known that it was never going to be that easy," you said with a smirk. "What, you really thought that I was just going to sit here and tell you everything, just because you asked?"

He glared at you now. "I will not entertain your silly games, little star. Just tell me what I want to know,"

"You don't deserve to know. Not with what you're doing to the Guardians,"

Pitch smirked this time. "So, you know about that. They didn't send you in to stand against me blinded by ignorance. How good of them,"

You tutted and rolled your eyes, expressing your contempt for Pitch's sarcasm. You didn't appreciate it one bit, certainly not under these circumstances. "Of course not," you murmured. "None of us are fools,"

"Hmph," Pitch made a low noise resembling his own contempt for your comment. "So why did you stand up to me on their behalf? Did they call for you? Did you grant them a wish?"

"Rephrasing the question isn't going to dupe me into answering, you know," you said bluntly. The ire in Pitch was mounting, you could see that, and you knew it wouldn't be long before he snapped. "Just accept the fact that I'm not going to give you the answers you seek,"

Again, a sandy arm shot through the cage wall and made to grab you, but you were too fast this time. You ducked out of the way, then created a short-lived burst of light to end the attack. In that instant, light prevailed over darkness, and Pitch's scowl only deepened at this realisation. You were not, however, used to his methods. You were not expecting the secondary assault, that came from behind and wrapped around your neck, dragging you up against the cage wall again and holding you there as tightly as it could without killing you.

You struggled against it, much to Pitch's amusement. "I think you should be the one to accept the facts...That you're not getting out of here until I get the information I want, for one," he said cruelly. "Now, if you're not going to tell me what  _you_ were doing with the Guardians, I'll make use of your presence some other way. Say, why don't you grant me a  _wish_?"

The sandy vine tightened around your throat for a moment, but as its grip on you weakened again, you tried pulling it away from you with your hands while choking out, "It doesn't work like that..."

The sand began to constrict your throat again but you managed a splutter, indicating that you could still breathe. It soon became obvious that Pitch was not going to kill you. He was just scaring you, as was his mandate. But why not kill you, you wondered. Your only benefit to him was to give him information...You could not grant his wishes because of the circumstances...

"Please...stop..." you wheezed. "Please...There are... _rules!_ "

The pressure in your head was increasing from all the blood rushing to it and becoming trapped there by the choke-hold he had you in. You peeked out through heavily-lidded eyes to see his own widen in sudden realisation of what you were implying. He released you as suddenly as he had seized you, and you fell to the floor coughing and gasping for air.

"What do you mean, "there are rules"?" he said, calmly and levelly.

You glanced up at him with big, watery (E/C) eyes. "We are bound by a set of rules...Principles, if you like..."

"Well this is new. Stars bound by a creed...Whatever next?" he chuckled in disbelief of you. "Don't feed me this nonsense. Just do as I say..."

"No..." you panted. "I can't..."

You felt his glare burning hot on your back as you fought to catch your breath. He was willing you to go on, even daring you. But you weren't afraid of him.

"They are more than just guidelines...They dictate our work, and how we go about it," you croaked. "For example...A star can only grant someone's wish if they've seen them in the night sky..."

You looked down at your hands again, palms pressed flat against the cage floor. Meanwhile, Pitch nodded slowly and looked to the ceiling before letting a slow smile spread across his lips.

"Is that so...?" he purred. You felt the small hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. That was not a good sign.

The cage door flew open, and once again you found yourself in the clutches of the black tendrils of sand that Pitch seemed so fond of using. After the last attack on your person, you had been left feeling weak and lacking the energy to fight back, so you just let him drag you to wherever he was going.

You closed your eyes and let it happen, feeling weightless as you were dragged through the air and then the scraping on your knees as you were tugged along on the floor as you passed through a tunnel and out into the open air beyond. Your eyes snapped open, and you breathed the fresh air deeply, filling your lungs as though you had been trapped in an airtight box for the last however many hours...

"Right," you heard Pitch say, a short distance away. "Shine,"

"What?" you asked, confused.

"I said 'shine'!" he barked, glaring down at you where you sat restrained on your knees in the snow all around you. A cold wind blew across the landscape, through the naked trees again and finally reaching you to make you shiver. You wondered if you were far from where you had been snatched by Pitch...But you understood his orders. They were made real by the tightening of the sand binding your ankles and wrists, and snaking around your neck and abdomen.

He was playing the role of captor very well indeed. No act of defiance went unpunished, it seemed...

Left with little choice, you began to emit a dim, white glow. It was the brightest you could manage now, having had your strength sapped so severely by his onslaughts. It wasn't until it was too late that you realised what he was doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Just a little update for you all. Sorry again for the wait! I have a week off work coming up so *hopefully* I'll be able to update a little more frequently! I also apologise if this chapter was a little different to the previous ones...I've got a bit of a block at the moment that I'm trying to fight through, but I hope it was worth reading and that you enjoyed! As always, your continued support and interest means the world to me!
> 
> \- SooperChicken


	4. The Heart of the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pitch Black's determination is growing ever stronger and soon, you fear, it will be too much for anyone to put back under control. He has made it clear to you that when he wants something, he will always find a way...
> 
> But will you be able to prove that his disregard for your rules will be costlier to him than he accounted for?

"What...What are you doing?" you whispered anxiously, voice barely more than a whisper. Your eyes flicked nervously between Pitch Black and the night sky, with its millions of tiny, white pinprick stars. All of them seemed so far from you, and of course they were, but it only served to make you feel all the more alone.

Pitch did not respond, but after looking back to him and then once more at the sky, you caught a glimpse of what you could only imagine that he had been hoping to see for himself.

A white trail streaked the dark sky, the only evidence of one of your kind ever having come close to Earth...And the meaning of that simple image dawned on you quickly. You ceased to glow, and turned to Pitch in desperation.

"No, wait...!"

"Too late, little star. I already did," he said quietly, turning to look at you. "Tell me, do your 'rules' extend to  _all_ shooting stars? And  _must_ they be obeyed?" he then chuckled.

You gave him a withering glare, unable to comprehend this level of cruelty. He was doing nothing to physically harm you now, but he was torturing you all the same. You knew who, and what, he was, but you had failed to foresee that he would be so cunning. In this short space of time, you felt as though you should have known him better, and it angered you to think that you had been too blind to see this kind of trick sneaking up on you.

"...Yes," you growled, keeping him in your sights. "She'll grant your wish soon enough,"

Pitch Black's lips curled upwards in a wicked grin. "Good," he said simply. "Now, inside. You're not leaving yet,"

You were about to protest when he used his dark magics to force you back towards the cave entrance. You could not have shone now if you tried. So downtrodden and hopeless did you feel, that to be bright and cheerful, and positive, simply didn't occur to you anymore.

It seemed like no time at all that Pitch had you back in that cold, cramped little cage of yours. The door was locked, and the sands swirled around you as a shield. He was right...You weren't leaving yet, or any time soon. You would have had to have been a fool to refute that.

"What happens now...?" you dared to ask. It seemed as though you were speaking to nothingness, the void before you. An abyss of black. Nothing to be seen but the odd glimmer as a stray beam of light glinted off one of the walls of black sand.

The King of Nightmares manifested himself once more, stepping from the shadows on a pillar of sand as he always did. He was inconstant. Ever-changing. He would appear and disappear in an instant, shifting like the shadows but untouchable like them too--or like the sands he commanded. He would slip right through your fingers...

You wished it wasn't so, in this case, that you and your stars were bound by your 'guidelines'. That your starlet, the one who had passed by minutes earlier, had to obey them and grant Pitch's wish unquestioningly, was terrible. And you were certain that she knew what she was being forced to do...You could not blame her.

The expression on Pitch's face was unsettling, but not one that you hadn't come to expect from him. "What happens now is that you will do as I command, and serve  _me._ You will be an asset to me, to what will be my reign of terror...And you won't argue with that, will you?"

You saw the scheming glint in his eye, and knew then what it was that he'd wished for. "I don't believe you..." you whispered, shaking your head slightly from side to side. He heard clearly both the dismay and burning anger in your voice, however quiet.

"What's not to believe?" he chuckled. "You wouldn't use your powers  _willingly_ , so I sought alternative methods to acquire them. You will now do as I say, or disobey your own rules. I assume that, by extension, you are obligated to fulfil the wish should you be involved in it yourself?"

He was wringing you for all the information he possibly could. It angered you greatly, but there was nothing to be done about it now. It wasn't as if you could honour your rules one minute and disregard them the next. And it certainly wasn't as though you had been the one to come up with and implement them. You weren't sure what the punishment would be for resisting your duty to help fulfil a granted wish, but you were positive that it wouldn't be pleasant.

"You're a monster..." you snarled, tearing your eyes away from him. The longer you stared, the higher your fury mounted. But there was one last trick up your sleeve, although its success was entirely dependent on one thing...And that was Pitch himself. "But fair enough," you went on, slowly and deliberately. "I will grant you your wishes from now on. That was what you wanted, correct?"

"Correct," said the Boogeyman, with a satisfied, ethereal smile on his face once more. You knew better than to think that it was an expression of calm, and serenity, rather a sign that he thought that he'd won the battle. "I think I might start now, in that case,"

You sat down on the cold cage floor, with your back against the mesh wall behind you. You brought your knees up to your stomach and lazily draped your arms over them, while casting a detached and disinterested look of your own straight back at him. Your overall demeanour was supposed to indicate to him that he should just get on with it.

"I wish to know what the Guardians hoped to achieve by enlisting the help of a shooting star, for one thing," he said, coming right up to the cage. He was so close now that you could have reached over and poked out his eyes, but you didn't have that kind of violent conviction in your heart. You sighed. Again, with this question. He was nothing if not persistent...

You looked him straight in the eyes, making a point of proving to him that you were doing your duties honourably and to the letter. "Very well. They called upon me to help fight you in this war that you've started, disrupting the balance of the magical world and destroying children's beliefs in them. We formulated a plan, to get you to come to us, so that we might have defeated you. I served as bait, but you know the rest,"

Pitch laughed, then. It was a strange sound...Musical, almost. It was intriguing to you. It then occurred to you that he was not laughing because he was truly amused...It was out of incredulity that he did so.

"How precious...They thought that one extra entity would make a difference? And one unused to fighting, no less?"

"Apparently so. I have my uses, but...It would appear that I underestimated you, a person I did not know until now,"

He stared you down, still with amusement twinkling in his cold, yellow eyes. "Well, at least you're admitting it. But you still don't know me, a fact I intend to use to my advantage...That is what you fear, right? The unknown..."

He _was_ right, spot-on in fact. You neither nodded nor voiced this to him, because he didn't need confirmation of that. It was what he did--find out people's greatest fears. And you didn't know why you feared the unknown, but you supposed it came with the territory of being a shooting star. Where the realm of possibility was one you dabbled in on a daily basis, using your unique magics to conjure up weird and wonderful things for the people who wished for them, unknown quantities were not something that you came across frequently.

You laughed quietly, though.

"What's so funny?" spat Pitch, looking upon you with disdain. Something inside him clicked, though. That laugh of yours...Tinkling like a windchime, a melody dancing across the still air to his ears. He shook the thought from his mind, and thumped a fist upon the cage wall in front of him, rattling the entire structure as he did so.

"Just...what you said a moment ago..." you giggled. "You think that I don't know you, but...That's where you're wrong. Very wrong..."

"How can you possibly claim to know me after a couple of hours of painfully resistant conversation?" he snapped, glowering down at you. He was like a shadow himself, with scarily luminous eyes. But you still were not afraid.

"Well, I don't know  _you_ , per se...But I do know something else. Your heart," you stated simply.

Pitch stared at you for a moment, blankly. But his expression soon turned to one of a mixture of confusion and contempt. "What  _are_ you talking about? My  _heart_? What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?!"

You smiled sweetly at him, sarcastic and unsettling, but giving him a truer picture of the person behind it. "There is another rule which I neglected to inform you about..." you began slowly. "I know that you possess a similar power, where you can learn a person's greatest fear just by looking at them...But with stars, it is a little different..."

You waited to see if he would say anything. When he remained silent, eerily so, you pressed on.

"After granting a wish for a person for the first time, a shooting star learns that person's heart's desire...Their deepest wish...The thing they want the most. When they return to the Star Palace, that desire goes into our library for safekeeping...For all eternity. But since I cannot return there to discover what my starlet--the one you wished upon earlier--found out about you...I was forced to acquire the information through other methods..." you told him, echoing his words from previously.

He continued to glare viciously at you, and was about to speak out, but you stopped him with a short, dismissive hand gesture, holding up a palm to silence him.

"Oh, wait. It gets better..." you chuckled. "The other rule, stemming from that, is that once we are aware of your heart's desire...We are unable to grant any other wish. That is why a genie only gives you three, and a fairy godmother only helps with a person's most heartfelt desires...And why birthday wishes only come once a year...Do you understand what I'm saying,  _Pitch_?"

Hearing you say his name like that sent tingles down his spine, but that curdled with the rage that he was feeling right now. He felt duped...Tricked... _Played._ His plan hadn't worked, and yours had. You were clearly revelling in your success, and his own failure. He would not let you get away with this so easily, but...

"You know, I should have guessed what the heart of a man like you  _truly_ wanted," you said, more gently this time. "It's...quite a classic tale, really,"

"What _are_ you talking about?" he growled, backing away from the cage slightly. And, if you weren't mistaken, you caught a note of something else in his voice...Apprehension, you thought.

You smiled, mostly to yourself. "You, Pitch," you answered. And you had already anticipated the kind of reaction you would invoke by telling him what you knew, but you said it anyway. "A person's fears and greatest desires aren't necessarily connected, you know. And yours certainly aren't. Cliché though it sounds...You just want to be loved, don't you?"

"Shut. Up," he snarled, retreating from you almost completely. "You know  _nothing_..."

"If I hadn't struck a nerve, would there be cause for such an adverse reaction to my words...?" you ventured. You understood this sudden animosity of his; he was trying to protect himself. Such a dark and seemingly twisted spirit would not want anyone else to know the softness of his heart...It stood to reason that he was so defensive.

And, against everything you knew to be right, you liked that about him. That, at his core, was such a gentle and earnest craving...It was endearing, and made you think that perhaps he was not as evil as he would have you believe.

"You're wrong..."

"Am I?" you pushed, raising an eyebrow at him. You could still see his eyes piercing through the enveloping darkness. "Then why is this the story relayed to me by your own spirit, the spirit of a man who seeks to bring fear and darkness to children despite being a father himself...?"

Inspired by your discovery of what was essentially his weakness, your mouth ran away with information you never intended to speak aloud. You hadn't wanted him to know that you knew that, too. Everything he held close to his heart was laid bare for the stars to see after making his first wish, and that was one of the things most dear to him. But, in your determination to prove him wrong...You had overstepped the mark.

The wrath in his expression was--almost--terrifying. You would have been afraid of him, were it not for your knowledge of the kindness that slumbered within him.

"You ought to know better, little star..." he rumbled. "...snooping through people's personal affairs...You say that you know me, now, but you will never,  _ever_ understand..."

By the end of his sentence, his voice was strained and it was clear to you that he was desperately trying not to shout.

"Then  _help_ me to understand you, Pitch..." you said, in an attempt to appeal to him this time. "This is something I  _can_ help you with," You flipped onto your knees from where you sat, and inched closer--very carefully--to the cage door. You had no idea where your sudden desire to help him came from, or where the softness towards him came from either, but what you did know was that it was there. And one way or another, you were going to help him.

"No," he said abruptly, and stubbornly. "What could you possibly do, anyway...? There's nothing that can be done to..."

He looked you straight in the eyes, realising what he was about to do. Admit everything. Despite that, in his eyes you saw desperation. You sat there, stock still and innocently staring up at him with big eyes. Suddenly, it was as though all the fight had drained out of him, and his shoulders sagged. You watched as he turned and fled from the room, without another word to you before he left. The room was deathly silent, and you were alone.

Still, you thought. There was work to be done here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> Another chapter for you! Hope you're enjoying the story so far, and as always I appreciate your feedback. One day soon, at the end of one of these chapters, I'll have a little question for you so stay tuned!
> 
> \- Love, SooperChicken


	5. A Slippery Slope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have unearthed what was probably Pitch Black's darkest secret. Of course, he wasn't expecting anyone to stumble across the truth of the matter quite like you did. You find yourself all alone, yet again, with your mind wandering to thoughts of the future.
> 
> What could be in store for you and the Guardians?

Curled up in a ball on the cold metal floor of the cage, you hugged your knees tightly for they were the only comfort you had. The room was bitter, and you hadn't heard a sound in what had to have been several hours. Worse still, you were getting hungry. That incessant, gnawing ache in your belly, that burned uncomfortably all the way up to your ribs and felt all-too ready to consume you.

You resisted the urge to groan at the unpleasant sensation. You curled up tighter, willing the pain to disappear. But it was like the darkness itself, penetrating and persistent. You stared into the gloom, willing the sensation to fade. Or at least will yourself to ignore it, to blot it out until it dissipated into nothing...

You wished that all things were so easy. If only you could just shut your eyes and cover your ears and pretend nothing in the world was wrong. Wish away all the bad things. Sure, you were a shooting star, but sadly "making the whole world right" was something that had to be worked for. You couldn't just sprinkle a little stardust here and there and magic the world's ills away, although you wished desperately that was the case...

You remembered your own "heart's desire", that you had made known to the powers that were, long ago. You remembered it all; the wish, the events that brought you to desire it so, the hope you felt swelling in your chest...

"You wanted to make people happy,"

You nearly jumped out of your skin to hear Pitch's voice again, and not so far away from you. He had almost seeped into the room, like rain permeates the clothes of an unprepared wanderer. Sitting bolt upright in your cage, you whirled around to stare at him in confusion. "What did you say?" you asked, slightly raising one eyebrow.

Pitch was leaning nonchalantly against a wall of sand, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the vast emptiness below. His expression--from what you could see in profile--was hollow, just as his voice sounded. You wondered at his sudden change in personality, and would admit to being slightly befuddled by him.

"You wanted to make people happy. That's how you became a star," he said, repeating his earlier statement. He did so without irritation, as you suspected he might have done the opposite before his change in attitude towards you. He seemed to have developed patience for you, now. "How is that working out for you?"

You felt your stomach drop a little as he turned to face you slightly as he asked his question. His yellow eyes were still as piercing as ever, stabbing you through the darkness. There remained a hint of aggression in those eyes, but you had already concluded why this was the case.

"I am happy because I get to make other people happy. My wish came true," you said. "Call me cliché, but..."

"Cliché, yes. But I understand," said Pitch, nodding slightly. You were most certainly taken aback by this statement, now. "I just wish it were so simple for everyone,"

"What do you mean?"

"You saw right through me. You know what I used to have..." he began, shuddering slightly as he dipped his hand into this bag of emotional memories of his. "As such, I can understand your desire to make people happy. It used to be all I ever wanted for...You know,"

You did know. Of course, you had been the one to bring it up. His child, his daughter. You felt...guilty for bringing up such painful memories.

"...But surely you must see that there are some of these, what? " _Heart's desires_ " that cannot be granted? You claim to have seen my heart. How can someone like me ever achieve that?"

You cast your gaze upon him once more, having removed it in your remorse for making him remember--as if he'd ever have forgotten. When you looked this time, however, you saw a much frailer entity before you, one searching themselves for a shred of proof that they were worth a damn to anyone, even themselves. One who looked to you for an answer that they so desperately needed. You knew you would only see this side of him once, and never again.

Right now, Pitch Black was relying on you to be gentle with his heart, despite the words that came out of his mouth.

"Pitch..." you said gently, reaching out to him with a kindly tone of voice. "You are no different to anyone else. Your true desire is not unobtainable. All you have to do is wish for it--one of us will reach you..."

"Why haven't you before?" he asked a little sharply. His eyes betrayed the pain he felt.

You felt terrible for saying it, but he wanted answers, and you knew it would do him no good to hear a soft lie. "You never admitted it to yourself,"

He froze, and his silvery-gold eyes widened slightly. If it was possible to hear heartbreak, you would have expected to hear the muffled cracking there and then. He knew you were right and looked down at his feet, closing his eyes thereafter. He never uncrossed his arms, almost as though protecting the organ at the centre of your conversation.

After a few minutes of silence he reopened his eyes and looked at you. It was a curious look, one you were unsure of how to interpret. It was somewhat softer than other looks he'd given you, but gave you the impression that he was still very much keeping you at arm's length. You could understand that--he'd just bared all that was in his heart to you, still a complete stranger to him, but you'd coaxed him into opening up. It would make any reserved, distrustful creature suspicious.

You smiled inwardly. Apart from aiding the Guardians in their quest to stop him from destroying faith in them, there was no reason for him to distrust you. You had everyone's best interests at heart. You would help him to see that.

"Anyway, this isn't why I came back," he grumbled, suddenly looking shifty. You grinned then, realising that he was embarrassed. "I...brought you something to eat. You must be starving,"

Your eyes widened immensely as a tendril of black sand opened the cage door from the outside and another pushed a plate across the cage floor towards you. You resisted the urge to giggle as you saw what your meal was, and wondered where Pitch was concealing the facilities to make you a sandwich. "Th-thank you!" you stuttered, for although the novelty of the situation still lingered it was largely replaced by the surprise that then dawned on you and the gut-wrenching reminder that you were, in fact, famished.

You began to eat immediately, not caring if Pitch was watching--you normally baulked when you caught people watching you eat, as it was one of the most horrifying experiences you cared to imagine--and you enjoyed every second of it. Any food that could have been offered to you at that point wouldn't have stood a chance. You found that it was just enough to sate you for the time being, and sighed quietly and contentedly when you finished.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Much," you replied. The conversation died again, but something sprung to mind. "Say, how did you know that I wanted to make people happy?"

Pitch smirked, although mostly to himself you realised. "You're a shooting star. The "main" one. I just put two and two together and got four,"

You smiled again. You were beginning to see the more human side of him now. Again, you thought, this would be seldom seen again, if at all. "Ah. So you're not a mind-reader, then?"

"No," he replied shortly.

You chuckled then, deciding to change the mood. "Thank goodness for that,"

Curiosity piqued, Pitch came a little closer to the cage and stared quizzically at you. "What makes you say that?" he said.

"Well, I just didn't want you picking through my thoughts and finding out what a big softy I think you are," you teased. There he was, bringing you food when you were actually his prisoner and opening his heart up to you like you were the only one who might understand. He  _was_ a softy.

He growled softly in embarrassment and scowled. "Don't even go there. I am  _not_ soft,"

"Really? Then how come you're still here, talking to me? You must like the company,"

" _No,_ I...What, do you fancy _yourself_ as a mind-reader, do you?" he muttered, desperately trying to defend himself.

Grinning broadly, you faced him squarely and said, "Just doing a few sums of my own,"

Pitch grimaced and turned his back on you, muttering something under his breath about how cocky you were all of a sudden. You continued to smile, knowing full-well that you'd broken through the wall he'd put up to protect himself from things like this. But  _you understood_. That kind of thing wouldn't be meaningless to someone like him. The only thing that still surprised you was how quickly the tone had changed, and how jovial the atmosphere felt now, but you wouldn't disregard the inherently dire situation you were still in.

Your captor turned around once again, almost as though pacing around. His entire expression had softened now, and his shoulders were more relaxed. "If you ever repeat this you'll be sorry, but you're right. I am soft. But only because it's easy to be when you're the one listening,"

You weren't quite sure you'd heard him correctly, but you played his comment back in your head over and over until you were left with no doubts in your mind that he had, in fact, just said that to you. "You..."

"As I said, you repeat that, you'll wish you hadn't," he interrupted quickly, although with much less malice than he would have said such a thing with earlier on. "Anyway, I suppose I'll let you out now. But you must give me your word that you won't try to escape,"

You simply looked at him with a perplexed expression plastered on your face.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course, I know that--ordinarily--you would try to escape. I'd be daft to think you wouldn't. You are, however, in my playpen and should you try to escape there will be measures in place to prevent this until I personally allow you to leave..."

He was back to being himself, you realised. You had known that the mirthfulness would not last forever.

"...and said "measures" will hurt you if you try to run away. I don't want to see you hurt, so please. Stay put, yes?"

A hint of softness returned to his voice, and you felt something pushing on your chest as the cage door opened one last time. You didn't want to think about it as you stood and took your first, ginger steps towards the now-open door. A platform of sand formed under your feet to support you as you stepped outside, and lowered you all the way to the floor, way down below. There were chairs and tables and bookshelves down there, which you had not been able to see from up there in the cage. Everything was dark still, however, so you glowed a little to cast some light here and there.

After eating, and managing to get  _some_ sleep at least, you found your strength returning along with your ability to glow. When you turned around, you found that Pitch was nowhere to be seen, obviously satisfied that you had heeded his warning and decided against running away. It still occurred to you that you could do it, now that you had your strength back--or felt it returning, at least--but...Something kept you.

As you thought back to how he had opened up to you, his bashfulness as you teased him, the hardness that came with being fear itself and then how he replaced that with gentleness again at the thought of safeguarding your well-being, you realised what had happened to you. You would not speak it aloud, however.

No one needed to know. Certainly not Pitch. But the fact remained, you would not try to escape. He had expressed interest in maintaining your welfare, and had trusted you enough to talk to you about his aching heart.

Good-natured as you were as a star, you would not betray his trust.

-

You had been sat reading quietly for some time, and felt as though Pitch may have gone out terrorising the Guardians again while you were left to your own devices. Either that, or he was plotting. You didn't know what he did in his spare time, so you figured he was either plotting or...exacting his revenge somehow. You closed the book with a low, satisfying thud and placed it carefully on the small table beside you, leaning back in your chair as you did so. You breathed in deeply, smelling nothing but cold darkness all around you. There was nothing to hear, but the gentle white glow from the light you emitted earlier still twinkled in the corners of the reading nook you were sat in. You hadn't taken Pitch for such an avid reader...

Out of the silence and out of the shadows beyond stepped Pitch without so much as announcing his presence. He was as silent as the grave, and moved like a shadow itself, drifting rather than walking even though his legs were clearly moving.

"Keeping busy?" he asked, making you jump.

"Ah...! Y-yes..."

"You're so...twitchy. Jumping at everything," he said with a small grin playing on his lips. He found your surprise entertaining.

You stared up at him defiantly. "Well, maybe if you weren't so silent you wouldn't make me jump so much,"

"Would you prefer I walked into every room declaring my arrival at the top of my voice?" he chuckled. You couldn't keep glaring at him as you were for very long; he had made a very good and very amusing point.

"Fine, point taken..." you grumbled.

"Good," he said, sweeping that conversation under the proverbial rug, although clearly not writing it off entirely. He would keep it at the front of his mind for the purpose of maintaining the good mood it had put him in, although the discussion that was to come would certainly try to to worsen it considerably. "Anyway, I just came to tell you that...ah, you...You're free to go,"

You rose from your chair, very slowly, and never once took your eyes off him. He had said it so hesitantly but his expression told you that he was certain about his decision. "You really mean that?"

"Of course. Don't make me change my mind. Just go,"

His voice adopted a very brisk, dismissive tone suddenly, but after your heart-to-heart conversation hours previously, all you could do now was see straight through him. He was trying to defend himself again. He didn't want you to go, not really. If only for the company and having someone to talk to. Someone who understood his heart and would not laugh at him for its softness. He would be lonely.

You felt awful, but...your friends were out there, too. This was what Pitch had come to accept.

Without realising it, you had walked forward a couple of steps and now stood right in front of Pitch. In the short time you had spent in that cage, you had forgotten how very tall he was compared to you. He did not look at you, rather at the floor next to where you stood, but you tried to catch his eye. He glanced at you, and in that split second you saw both his vulnerability and how he subsequently steeled himself for what was to come.

"You're still here,"

"Well spotted," you shot back, albeit playfully. "Just...thank you, alright? That's all I wanted to say. And, while I'm here...Just remember that it's not impossible to have what you really want, okay? You know the only thing you have to do to get it,"

The expression that flitted across Pitch's features then was a peculiar one. You could tell that he would say something a little odd in response.

"Kidnap you again?"

You blinked a couple of times, trying to process his remark. You took it that he meant it in the sense that he would have a star to do his bidding again and chuckled. "I'd prefer it if you didn't do it that way,"

He smiled, a gesture that was a mixture of cheerfulness at your playful banter and sadness that you were leaving, an event that heralded the rivalry that you would have to resume.

"Well...'bye for now," you murmured. You wanted to do something, reach out and pat his arm or something, but resisted the temptation. You turned slowly, not wanting to rush. It didn't feel right to do so. He was  _letting_ you go.

Pitch never said a word in response, but you could feel eyes on you as you walked to the nearest archway you could find. Just beyond it, you saw a long tunnel and right at the end a speck of light that could only have been the exit.

Now, restored to full strength, you zipped away down the tunnel on a beam of light and out into the cool, fresh air. You breathed in deeply once more, grateful for your freedom, but decided to waste no more time in searching for your friends.

In the war they were waging against Pitch, things were about to get interesting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, everyone!
> 
> I hope you've all been well! I am so, so, SO sorry it's been so ridiculously long since I've updated this story, but I hope to make it up to you all by actually finishing it sometime very soon! I also hope this new chapter was to your liking, getting back into the swing of writing and picking up where I left off was a lot harder than I anticipated! 
> 
> Thank you all once again for your incredible patience!
> 
> As for the question I mentioned in the end notes of the previous chapter, I will ask it now, given the way this one turned out...It's a little embarrassing to ask, although I have no qualms about actually writing either option...But would you, my lovely readers, prefer a fluffy fic, or a smutty one? I know what the tags on this fic say, and if you've read any of my other works you'll know that I've no aversion to writing the latter, but I wanted to know what you'd prefer! Please do let me know.
> 
> \- Love, SooperChicken


	6. At Odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After granting you your freedom in what seemed to be a moment of softness, Pitch Black calculates the next steps of his plan to bring the Guardians to their knees. Meanwhile, you reunite with the Guardians and, seeing what they have been reduced to in your absence, you begin to question everything you thought while in Pitch's company.

Everything seemed colder than usual. Everything  _was_ colder than usual. Pitch Black didn't quite know what to do with himself now that there was no one to talk to, whether he was taunting them or actually attempting to be friendly. He had taken to pacing, roaming absentmindedly back and forth across a small portion of the cavernous space he called home.

" _What have you done to me?_ " he thought, feeling the sting of anger jabbing him in the guts. As soon as he paid mind to it, however, the sensation faded and was replaced promptly by the hot, churning maelstrom of anxiety that came with being attached to someone. Or, as Pitch was slowly beginning to realise, being more than just that. In one sitting, you had managed to wriggle your way into his heart and mind, serving as proof that there was still somebody out there who could inflame his passions once more.

Such a dark and ancient being as Pitch Black...Even he could feel this all-consuming emotion taking root.

As he watched you leave, several hours earlier, he felt the light in his heart beginning to fade once more. The little flame you had ignited there, reminding him of what he wanted most in the entire world. The very thing he had craved for hundreds of years, at least. While you were there, he hadn't wanted to admit it to himself for fear of scaring you away...but now that you were gone, and no longer where he could admire you, he could not conceal it.

Pitch Black was in love. With you. A  _star_.

You were, supposedly, his polar opposite. " _So why do I feel so comfortable around you?_ " he grumbled in his head, beginning a slightly more frantic gait in his pacing. He knew he should have hated you. But you showed him such kindness, and a willingness to try to understand. Maybe you _had_ even come close to understanding.

He continued to rant and interrogate you in his mind as if you were really there. Hands behind his back, pacing around over and over again until he was almost dizzy or at least sick of seeing the same items of furniture every few seconds. Pitch never thought he would experience it again, but he could slowly feel his mind descending into anarchy and his overall state falling into madness, the kind of madness that only came with being smitten with someone.

He stopped dead in his tracks and ran his grey hands roughly through his already dishevelled black hair. You had drawn him to you, like a moth to a flame, and pried open his heart like you were opening a letter. It had been that easy. And now, as he had released you, you were back in the company of his sworn enemies and preparing to bring him to his knees. Would you do it, he wondered. He hoped you would. If he couldn't win this fight, and somehow persuade you to remain beside him, then he would pray that you would be the one to defeat him.

Those were the only two outcomes he could accept.

Pitch growled in his frustration, mildly alarming one of his Nightmares standing quietly by. He had come to realise how very dark everything was in his lair now that it had been deprived of your light, both physical and metaphorical. You were...joy itself, to him at least.

He knew this, but equally that the Guardians would soon be setting about undoing all of his hard work with you in tow. He could not allow his mental state to deteriorate so much in thinking about you that he could no longer put up a halfway decent fight when it came to it. He turned his back to the Nightmare and made his way over to the large, spinning globe in the centre of the room. He wondered at the fact that you had not mentioned it when he came back to grant you your freedom. Perhaps you didn't need to ask any questions about it...

To his satisfaction, Pitch could see that lights were continuing to go out around the world. His plan was still in motion, and still succeeding. After all, in the time that he had held you captive he had managed to also ruin Easter and greatly damage children's belief in the Easter Bunny. The Sandman's absence had affected the Guardians greatly, and they were suffering for it. Soon, if he won, Pitch would have everything back to the way it was before the Guardians existed.

" ** _If_** _I win?_ " thought Pitch suddenly. He had never had such a negative and self-doubting thought occur to him before. But he knew why it had.

Soon, he thought, all of those lights would go out on the globe and then he would have his day. For that to happen he had to push all thoughts of you from his mind, to prevent the slow but sure and steady onset of the madness that would ultimately distract him...

His mind darkened, and all he could see was the shadow that drove him onward.

-

Your reunion with the Guardians had been a joyful one. Toothiana had practically thrown herself at you, mowing you down in a whirlwind of rainbow feathers and ecstatic blubbering about how happy she was to see you alive. Bunnymund respectfully kept his distance, but smiled when he saw you. He  _looked_ like he wanted a hug, so you obliged him on your own terms. He could see that after being glomped by the Tooth Fairy you might not appreciate (or be able to withstand) being squished to death by a six-foot pooka. But then there was North, who squished you anyway.

"Well...!" you spluttered, being spun around by North who you could tell was actually feeling rather fragile. "It's good to see you all as well!" You felt your concern cut deeper as you took a closer look at your friends, seeing how frail they had all become. Toothiana had undeniably lost much of her lustre, North felt physically weaker and looked quite tired, and the closer you looked at Bunnymund...the less he appeared to actually stand at six feet. He'd...shrunk.

As you stared at them all, you realised that one was missing. Of course, you knew that Sandy had sadly been absent by the time of your arrival, but now you noticed that you were a man down.

"Where's Jack?" you asked worriedly.

"Never mind him," growled Bunnymind crossly. He appeared to shrink a little more in that instant.

"B-but...why...?" you stammered, looking all around you as if Jack would suddenly appear. North shook his head sadly, and Toothiana approached you gently.

"(Y/N)...Pitch destroyed Easter. Jack was away when it happened...And now kids all over the world are set to stop believing altogether..."

You looked at your friend with the utmost sympathy, and saw the tears forming in her pretty pink eyes. Even though the workshop was warm, and the light inside was golden, you felt a sudden chill run down your spine and you felt the darkness closing in. You pulled Toothiana into a soft hug, doing your best to comfort her, all the while wondering how Pitch could have been so kind to you towards the end of your captivity yet sabotage your friends so mercilessly...

"We will stop him, Tooth," you said sweetly, pulling back to look her in the eyes. She looked like a small child then, desperately looking to anyone who might be able to protect her. Her eyes were bright with tears, and behind her the two other Guardians stood becoming weaker and weaker by the minute. Seeing them downtrodden, and mere shells of their former selves, made you indescribably angry. How  _dare_ he do this to them? You didn't know why you were quite  _so_ angry--after all, you knew Pitch's aims. But now that you could actually see the effects of his actions...

You wished you had never softened up to him. Damn your forgiving heart, and damn your kindly soul! You wondered if what you had felt for him only an hour ago had been nothing more than an unfortunate case of Stockholm syndrome.

"He'll pay for what he's done to you," you rumbled, addressing all three of your friends. "The three of you, and Sandy,"

"But if Pitch catches you again..." said North slowly, "...that will be the end of us. We cannot win without you,"

"He won't catch me again. I won't let him. And now I know his weakness..."

Toothiana's expression lit up and she clapped her hands together in excitement. "Really?! You do?! What is it?!"

You smiled wryly. "I'll show you soon enough,"

You didn't know that you possessed this vengeful streak. It scared you a little bit. But now you felt truly powerful, and were ready to face the King of Nightmares. Powerful in yourself, and powerful with the knowledge you wielded...Everyone could see that you  _really_ meant business this time.

"He will rue the day he crossed us,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delays between updates. I've been suffering from a pretty bad writer's block, so this may not be the best update I've ever made, and this is combined with starting a new job...Again, I do apologise!
> 
> I hope you like the new content!
> 
> Love, SooperChicken <3


	7. What Lies Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After resolving to turn your back on the feelings you thought you had for Pitch Black, the time has come to face him. You know that there is still one child in the world who believes in the Guardians, and so does Pitch...So wherever this child is, he will soon show up as well to snuff out that belief.
> 
> Thankfully, you know exactly what you're up against this time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day to you all!
> 
> I have written another chapter for you all already as a token of my appreciation for how wonderfully patient you've been in waiting for an update! Thank you all soooooo much for your continued support, and I hope you enjoyed this one!
> 
> Love, SooperChicken <3

Shortly after your bold decision to stand firmly against the man you thought you'd developed feelings for, you found yourself sitting calmly in North's sleigh as it barrelled through the night sky at many, many miles per hour. Even though Easter had been and gone, there was still a lot of snow on the ground and in the air. The snowflakes whipped past you as you flew, some hitting you sharply in the face but you hardly cared. Your cheeks were red and stinging, but it kept you awake and focused on the mission. To protect Jaime Bennett, and restore children's faith in the Guardians.

If that meant dashing Pitch's efforts, so be it.

You could hardly see a thing for moving so quickly and in the dead of night. You were heading straight for Jaime's street, but upon drawing near you soon realised that with North's waning power, so too was that of his reindeer. This landing would be more than a little bumpy. The road was soon looming up at you, with snowflakes rushing towards your eyes and resting on your eyelashes. There was presently an almighty crash and you were thrown from your seat, but not from the sleigh altogether. By the time you poked your head up over the side of the sleigh, you realised that both Toothiana and North were both out on the road and greeting somebody you hadn't thought to see again, given what the Guardians had said about him not long before.

Jack was being hugged ferociously by Toothiana, and greeted heartily but warily by North. Over the last few hours, you had watched your friends deteriorating so quickly you thought they would vanish right in front of you before long. North had to walk using one of his shashkas now, and Bunnymund was...not what he had once been. You clambered out over the side of the sleigh and your natural glow lit up the snow around you. Everyone's attention was drawn to you, especially Jack's, as you approached the little gathering a short distance from you.

"(Y/N)..." Jack began, casting the saddest of gazes upon you. "I'm so sorry..."

You were left confused by his apology. "What are you sorry for...?" you ventured.

He shook his head vigorously, seemingly finding difficulty in expressing his remorse. "I let you all down. I couldn't help you when Pitch...When he took you away,"

Upon hearing this, you could only smile gently as the soft snowflakes continued to drift to the earth, some settling in your hair as you watched Jack intently. The boy hadn't meant any harm. He was confused; he hadn't known who he was. You were guessing that he did, now. "You don't need to be sorry," you reassured him. "We're all here now, and we're ready to fight. Hopefully, this will be the last time,"

Toothiana stared at you with wide, worried eyes. "What if he tries to take you again?" You could tell by the beating of her wings how terrified she was, and turned your soothing gaze upon her.

"It'll be fine, Tooth. We'll all be fine,"

Just as you said this, Jack began to smile. "We'll have a little help too, you know..." he said mysteriously.

You didn't have long to wait to find out what he meant. Looking just beyond him and over his shoulder, you saw a young boy gingerly making his way over to your group. He seemed to be in reasonably good spirits, and his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates when he saw the people standing beyond you.

"It's you!" he cried excitedly. "I knew I didn't imagine you!" So this was Jaime, you thought. He seemed like a sweet kid. You weren't surprised that he couldn't see you, as you weren't necessarily believed in by all children, even though they liked to make their birthday wishes and  _some_ would wish upon stars. You were content to simply protect from a place that children were unaware of, where you couldn't be seen...But that was until Jaime turned his attention in your direction.

The boy's mouth hung agape for a few seconds, before pointing unsteadily at you.

"Who...who are you?" he asked in a wobbly voice.

You were just as surprised as he looked. "I'm a star..." you said quietly, glowing a little brighter in response to his question. The snow beneath your feet glittered a little under your light. "A shooting star. I...grant wishes..."

Jaime's stunned expression quickly turned to one of delight. "So it's really true?! There really  _are_ stars who grant wishes?!"

You grinned at him, enchanted by his innocence and wonder. "Of course," you said kindly. Then, it came to your attention that the reason Jaime could see you was that, upon seeing the other Guardians, he had wondered if any of them had been the ones to grant a wish he had made when he was a little bit younger. When he remembered how that wish had been granted, his wish for a baby sister, he had suddenly been able to see you. You asked him about it. "Do you remember when you wished for your sister, Sophie?"

"Yeah! That was you?"

"One of my stars, yes," you replied happily. "I was the one who... _persuaded_ your parents to get a dog,"

"You got them to bring Abby home?!" gasped Jaime. "You're the  _best_! Thank you so much!" You could see the excitement almost bubbling over, as he hopped from one foot to the other on the snowy road. The other Guardians all smiled fondly at the scene.

From behind you, you faintly heard Bunnymund grumbling from within the confines of the sleigh. He was, quite literally, a bunny now. Reduced to this by the lack of belief in him. He was small, cute and very fluffy. And you wanted to squish _him_ , now. "Yeah, getting a dog was a  _super_ idea..." he said in a slightly grizzly voice. You remembered how Toothiana had told you about how Jaime's dog had chased Bunnymund around the boy's room when they had all been out helping her collect children's teeth one night. You grinned, mostly to yourself. The boy had desperately wanted a dog, so you had obliged him.

You hadn't noticed Toothiana sidling up to you as you watched Jaime happily dancing around in the snow, asking Jack all sorts of questions. "So..." she whispered. "I thought you could only grant people their "hearts' desires"...?"

Again, you smiled. "That is one of the mysteries of a child's heart--their desires are as inconstant as the moon,"

Toothiana grinned a very...toothy grin at you. "That makes sense. You know, you'd make a pretty excellent Guardian yourself,"

By now, you were beaming from ear to ear. You felt honoured to be considered to exist on the same level as your friends, even though you had never considered becoming a Guardian before. You had always served anyone with a heartfelt desire.

After Jaime had calmed down somewhat, it was decided that you would all go and wake his friends, to get them on board with the mission to defeat Pitch and restore belief in the Guardians. As you made your way through the town, you suddenly felt the already freezing night air become absolutely bitter. You knew what that meant, and turned to see an unholy vision: Pitch stood tall upon an almighty wall of black sand, so enormous that it nearly blotted out the moon. The Nightmares lurked nearby as well, painting a terrifying picture of darkness that hung over the mostly sleeping town. The sand was almost like a thunderhead, only of deepest black.

Realising the imminent danger posed, you steered Jaime and your friends in the opposite direction, resisting the urge to pick the boy up and flee with him to protect him from Pitch's spite. Meanwhile, Jack flew up to confront him, to hopefully buy you all some more time. You looked to the skies as Jack arrived, and bore witness to the impressive displays of dark and ice magic, merging in a glittering combination of black and lightest blue. There was an almighty boom as you all dived into an alleyway, in hot pursuit of Bunnymund who led the way as best he could. Running to the right, he saw that there was no through path. Scrambling to the left, he realised the situation was much the same. As you turned on your heels in preparation to flee the way you came, there was a loud crash from behind and you glanced back to see Jack lying on his front.

Jaime was the first to rush over and help, given that the rest of you were either too fatigued already or struggling to comprehend what had just happened, or both. The boy did his best to lift him from the ground, and it soon became clear that Jack's crash landing had been the result of his clash with Pitch not moments earlier. You suddenly felt an unmistakable twinge of fear in your belly--if Pitch had just knocked Jack from the sky...Did that mean he'd grown stronger since your last battle?

"That was good try, Jack! 'A' for effort!" said North encouragingly, patting the lad on the shoulder as he stood shakily.

Jack looked paler than usual. "He's stronger," he muttered. "I can't beat him,"

So your fears had been well founded. You didn't want to think too much about it, but maybe you knew Pitch a little better than you wanted to admit aloud. So you remained silent, but on-hand to support anyone who needed it in their fragile state.

Toothiana and North just looked at each other, dread filling their hearts. This much was obvious, and as if on cue, the cruel laughter of the King of Nightmares echoed throughout the night and reverberated off the walls of the alley.

"Aw!" he cooed condescendingly as he continued to laugh at the group before him. "All this fuss over one little boy, and still he refuses to stop believing,"

Pitch's shadow, and that of the Nightmare he rode, flickered across the wall in front of you. You felt your adrenaline rising, preparing you for the amount of power you would soon unleash in his direction. You would not be fooled by, or frightened of, him again.

"Very well," he went on, in a very sinister tone of voice. "There are other ways to snuff out a light,"

Using his dark powers, he smashed every wall light illuminating the path back to the road. You were certain that he meant nothing to you now; you had known his game before, but you had seen softness in his heart. Now you knew it to be a lie, a hoax he used to soften  _you_. As you glanced down at Jaime, to see the panic and fear setting in on his innocent face, you felt your blood boil in rage. How dare he do this to a child?  _Any_ child?

"If you want him, you're gonna have to go through me!" shouted the tiny Bunnymund, hopping forwards and standing on his hind legs to appear as intimidating as a miniature pooka could.

A large, shadowy hand came down from nowhere and began to force Bunnymund's retreat. "Look how fluffy you are," teased Pitch, still withholding his corporeal form. "Would you like a scratch behind the ears?"

At this, Bunnymund fled to the safety of North's comparatively gigantic form. "Don't you even think about it!"

Not a moment later, the black sands returned and became physical as they emerged from the darkness beyond. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this..." said Pitch in an almost velvety tone of voice. He was the last to appear on horseback before you all, but as he came into the meagre light that came from behind you, above a doorway, he growled, "You look awful,"

He scanned you all, taking in the sight of the frail Nicholas St. North, the tiny E. Aster Bunnymund, the slightly fatigued Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost, who stood by protecting Jaime as best he could. When Pitch's eyes fell on you, you saw something shift behind his pale golden eyes. His expression softened minimally, and he visibly faltered.

" _Come on,_ " you thought. " _Attack us. I **dare** you,_"

It seemed as though the others had noticed the way Pitch Black's gaze lingered on you a little longer than it had on anyone else, and the way he didn't seem to exhibit as much hostility or ill will while regarding you. Toothiana glanced inquisitively across at you, and while you spotted her doing this out of the corner of your eye, you kept the hardest, coldest stare you could muster trained fully on Pitch. You fancied that you saw him shudder under the weightiness of your glare, but while you outwardly maintained your composure and apparent lack of respect for the man, you felt your heart beginning to ache again.

You thought him handsome, at the very least. And the way his eyes had softened upon seeing you standing beside the Guardians...It made you think that perhaps not everything he had said to you in his dungeon had been a lie. You knew how your heart was changing towards him, yet again, but you could not allow yourself to succumb to it. You had to think of your friends, and the children of the world.

Seeing that you were apparently not going to change your mind about him this time, Pitch angrily turned his attentions back to the Guardians and shot them all with an almost accusing glare of his own. It was almost as if he blamed them for pitting you against him, despite knowing that by releasing you from captivity he was giving you the freedom to return to them and rejoin the fight. The silhouettes of his Nightmares began to stretch and distort as they reached out across the concrete ground towards your group, and Jaime backed away in fear.

"Jack, I'm scared..." he whimpered, looking up at the boy in the blue hoodie. Jack crouched down beside him, looking him in the eyes with the greatest sympathy. With one hand on the boy's shoulder, Jack appeared to fall into a trance as he glanced at the ground. You supposed that he was remembering something from long ago.

When he finally came around, he said to Jaime: "It's okay...We're gonna have a little fun instead," A huge weight looked as though it had been lifted from Jack, and he gasped, "That's it! That's my centre!"

Jaime stared at Jack as if he'd grown an extra head, while Pitch continued his threatening approach, laughing all the while. "So what do you think, Jaime? Do you believe in the Boogey..."

Pitch was caught off-guard and silenced by a sudden snowball to the face. As he rushed to get the snow out of his eyes, Jack turned to Jaime and said, "Now let's go get your friends,"

Grabbing some nearby discarded woks and trash can lids, Jack paved the way forward in ice and your friends all skidded off down the road and into the night, in the general direction of the homes of Jaime's friends. You stayed behind, however, determined to distract Pitch for as long as possible to allow your friends to do what they had to do. The dark man before you just caught a glimpse of them as they scooted past, forcing his Nightmares to rear, neigh, and jump out of the way. You heard his angry growl as he lost sight of them, but he did not follow to begin with...

He knew you were still there.

As Pitch turned to face you, you elevated yourself to hover just above the ground, then finally higher and higher until you reached one of the nearby rooftops. Pitch felt compelled to follow, out of some kind of unspoken necessity, and stood opposite while staring you down. Once again, however, you watched as his expression softened as he regarded you, and as the fight threatened to drain from his soul.

"Why must you stand against me?" he asked, no... _Pleaded._ There was a note of desperation in his voice that was impossible to ignore. "I thought...I thought we had come to an understanding,"

You snorted incredulously. "An understanding of a kind, yes. But I would have thought that  _you_ understood that I would remain loyal to my friends,"

Pitch continued to stare, almost attracted magnetically to your light. Not once had you stopped glowing that night, even though it dimmed and brightened at intervals. "I didn't want to have to fight you again," he told you resolutely.

"I'm afraid, Pitch, that we don't have a choice. Seeing what you've done to the Guardians...I can't let you get away with that,"

Pitch lowered his gaze to the ground momentarily but when it returned to you, you saw clearly the suddenly malicious intent behind those piercing silvery gold eyes. Your glare intensified, and you prepared yourself for his first attack...

-

It must only have been moments later, but you felt as though you were waking up. Suddenly standing in an ornate and lightly furnished "room" of white granite, you recognised it as the sanctuary you would sometimes retreat to in your mind. It was a representation of the Star Palace, a hall within its walls. When you were _physically_ there, you would go to that room and sit on one of the chaises and read a book from one of the many grand, ceiling-high bookshelves lining the room and filling the gaps between the marble pillars. The room was so shiny that you could probably see your reflection in any given surface if you looked.

Just across from you stood Pitch. He seemed to be just as dumbfounded as you were at that time. When he finally registered what was going on, he smirked at you. "It takes a  _very_ powerful being to pull other people into their imagination..." he purred. "Look at you...Standing so proud in this little world of yours!" You continued to glower menacingly at him, certain that he was mocking you. He lowered his voice very deliberately though, and murmured, "Truly what the Queen of Stars should be,"

There was something about that comment, the way he'd said it...It pierced straight through to your heart and you could feel it melting as the blood in your veins began to bubble. Not in anger, though. The excitement that came from thinking that somebody was attracted to you, who you were attracted to yourself...

 _That_ was what made you so blindingly furious. That in this moment, of all moments, he would try to seduce you. "I've had enough of you," you snarled. "My heart is not a toy to be played with!"

He chuckled at that, enraging you further. "So you'll admit that there is  _something_ there?"

Pitch had to sidestep very promptly to avoid being blasted with a beam of light energy that you suddenly shot at him. "Shut  _up_ _!_ I don't want to hear it!" you yelled, lashing out at him again in rapid succession. You had noticed how, every time you attacked, he would dodge out of the way and yet move closer all the same. Eventually, you threw caution to the wind and sent a swirling mass of the densest stardust imaginable careening straight for him. It was almost as wide as the room, and certainly as high, and he couldn't avoid it this time. You watched as it closed in on him, and as he enveloped himself in dark sand before the stardust descended entirely.

You had hoped it would hit him. When it did, it cut like thousands of tiny knives--each individual particle flew around with the others like shards of diamond.

There was a sudden blast as dark magic dispelled the light, scattering your shimmering cloud of imminent pain until it dissipated into nothing. Pitch Black threw a tendril of sand at you, like an enormous arm reaching out for you, but you jumped out of the way and destroyed it with a simple wave of your hand, just one solid stroke.

In response, you compacted as much stardust as you could muster and used it in the same way that Pitch used his sand. For a few seconds he managed to avoid your merciless attacks, unable to get any closer to you. He knew that to let your magic hit him would be dire--with every crack of your whip-like creation, it would hit the granite floor and introduce hair-width cracks. He didn't want to think about what that would do to his body.

"I won't let you win, Pitch. And I won't let you hurt them anymore..."

He didn't say anything, but seemed to be caught off-guard by the fact that you had spoken to him. He paused, but this was a costly mistake. Your dust struck him, hard across the chest, and threw him backwards several feet. He skidded to a stop as you half-closed the distance between you.

"Why aren't you fighting me?" you growled. "You did it a moment ago,"

He chuckled weakly. "And realised I might hurt you,"

"So what?"

He just... _looked_ at you, then. He seemed oddly normal. Human, almost. The way his eyes bore into you told you everything you needed to know. You  _did_ care about him, but you hated what he was doing. You turned your back on him, not wanting to play this game. You didn't hear him stand up, but you were certain that he was about to betray you again. Stab you in the back. When no blow came, you dared to glance over your shoulder, to find that he was stood very close to you. You whirled around, regaining your conviction and made to attack once more but he grabbed your wrists and held you still.

"I don't want to hurt you,"

It was suddenly all so clear. No fighting, no arguing, no name-calling, nothing...It was because, as hard as you tried, neither of you truly wanted this conflict. You knew what the look in his eyes meant, and spoke for the pair of you.

"This is silly..." you sniffed, trying not to cry. "This shouldn't be happening. We don't  _know_ each other, and..."

Your mind couldn't comprehend his response. He seemed to have been listening, but now he had silenced you with a soft and surprisingly tender kiss.

Dumbfounded, you blinked twice at him with wide (E/C) eyes before allowing them to flutter closed. Without realising it, you had craved this since your heart first softened towards him. You pulled back slightly, both for breath and because there was still that lingering mote of doubt concerning what you were doing, what you were  _permitting_ to happen.

"W-what..." you stammered. "We can't...I can't..."

Pitch's lips curled upwards in the slightest of smiles, and this time quietened you with a simple look. You were stunned into submission, and readily gave yourself to the kiss that followed. This time you leaned into him, revelling in the sensation of his lips against yours and his hands which now rested snugly in the curve of your waist.

In that heady, blissful moment, you knew that you wouldn't be leaving your sanctuary any time soon...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter turned out to be longer than originally anticipated...I hope this makes up for the long-awaited update!


	8. Shadow Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Pitch Black has..."seen the light".
> 
> Or is it really that you've embraced the darkness?

Never in your wildest dreams had you imagined that you would find yourself in this situation, clawing at Pitch Black's cloak as he pressed kiss after bruising kiss to your already swollen pink lips. Of course, since you started to feel as though there was a  _possibility_ that you could have harboured feelings for the Nightmare King you had started having very vivid dreams and daydreams alike...But none of them ever made you think that your desire would be rewarded in reality. Not for one second.

Now, as his hands ran freely and rather expertly up and down your sides, you could feel your body catching fire inside as the truth of the matter dawned on you fully. This attraction that you felt towards him, this hopelessly inconvenient lust, was felt in equal measures by the man in front of you and he was intent on proving to you just how much he wanted you.

His kisses became deeper and more passionate as one arm snaked its way around your waist and the other came up under your arm so that his hand could rest securely on your shoulder, holding you tight and close enough to feel his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly but surely he began backing you up towards the wall behind you, the one with the chaise nestled between the bookcases. When the backs of your calves touched the front of the chaise, the man almost left you moaning in frustration as he pulled away briefly, only to spin you around and hoist you into his lap as he plopped himself down on the plush cushions.

Seconds later he returned dutifully to your lips, hands roving over your body now. They eventually found their way down to your legs, slender fingers pushing up your light and billowy skirts before wrapping around the backs of your thighs in order to pull you closer and encourage you to straddle him. You heard a small moan escape from your throat as you realised that you were now sat just over his nether regions, putting you in prime position to feel his excitement digging into you in the spot where you absolutely burned for him. His hands had roamed back up your body now, after a short stint gently rubbing and lightly pinching your nicely rounded backside through your clothes. Already you had begun to rock steadily against him, tortuously dragging your hips across his and rolling them in a fashion so seductive that you heard his previously steady breathing become ragged and uneven.

The room was silent save the sound of your quiet panting. You could have sworn, though, that the sound of your combined heartbeats would be clearly audible in a room where  _every_ noise echoed. The hard granite and marble around you no longer seemed as cold as before, now that your body temperature was significantly raised. Your blood only pulsed hotter and faster though when Pitch's lips parted from yours to settle on the soft flesh of your neck. His actions went from tender kissing to gentle nipping to careful sucking, taking extreme care not to leave too much of a mark on your unmarred skin.

To respond, since you were unable to reach his lips at this time, you pushed yourself down harder upon his manhood and teasingly rocked your hips again, eliciting from him the deepest moan you had ever heard. To reward you for your efforts in making him shudder in pure excitement, his hands left your waist where they had previously been resting and made their way to your stomach, slowly creeping up and torturing you as they did so until finally they reached their destination. The man between your legs cautiously slid those skilful hands of his up over the curve of your breasts beneath your dress.

Losing yourself in the tenderness of Pitch's touch, you snapped back to reality at the sound of something tearing sharply. You opened your eyes to see that Pitch was staring cheekily back at you, wondering how you would react to how he'd ripped your dress. You quickly moved to cover your now-exposed breasts, suddenly desperately embarrassed by the fact that he could see them. Before you could hide yourself completely, Pitch grabbed your wrists as he had done before kissing you for the first time and pulled you in. Keeping your arms out of the way using his hold on your wrists, and forcing your chest to protrude, Pitch leaned forward only slightly and took one of your nipples in his mouth and gently teased it with his tongue. You squeaked at the sensation--it had been a  _long_ time since anyone had touched you the way he did now. Your eyes fluttered closed and you threw your head back in ecstasy, lips slightly parted. Pitch pushed both of your arms behind your back and held them there with just one hand, before returning the spare one to the breast that he wasn't currently suckling on.

You were lost for words as he continued his ministrations on your body. You wanted to beg him for more, more of  _anything,_ but found that coherent speech  _and_ thought were not luxuries you were being afforded right now. Supporting you with the arm he had wrapped around you in order to hold your hands still behind your back, Pitch began to grind his own hips against yours, pressing his constantly hardening manhood against you while never once letting up on the gentle nips and licks he treated you to.

Glancing down at him through heavy, half-lidded eyes you learned that he had been watching your reactions for the past several minutes. Embarrassed, you tried to look away but that seemed to ignite his passions further. You hadn't anticipated what he would do next, nor had you expected such great physical strength from him. Pitch let go of you, only to lift you out of his lap by your waist and shove you down onto the chaise a little rougher than his previous actions had been. Still blushing, you attempted once more to look away but your lover caught your chin and pulled your head back to face him.

"Don't look away," he growled hungrily. "I want to see all of you, including your eyes..."

His own pale gold orbs bore hotly into you, almost as if he was trying to see into your soul. Leaning in for another deep kiss, you felt Pitch's hands wandering up towards the now-tattered neckline of your dress. Those talented fingers curled into the soft fabric before slowly and deliberately sliding the entire garment down your body until you lay naked beneath him. The cool air on your skin drew greater attention to your new state of undress and you blushed even harder than you did before. Pitch seemed to delight in your response, dipping down low to kiss your breasts and wasting no time in lowering a hand to your most sensitive spot, coaxing from you the kind of whine you had no idea existed within you.

Every inch of your body was on fire, every sense on high alert, and every nerve was electric as he teased your entrance with his fingers.  _Now_ , you thought, you would learn just how good he was with his hands.

He pushed his digits inside you, encouraging the filthiest of sounds to spill from your plump, thoroughly ravaged lips. Crooking them slightly at the knuckles, he pumped them gently forwards and back while rolling the bulb of your flower with his thumb. You cried out, lying helpless on your back as he worked your body, and bit down on your bottom lip to stop the totally obscene sounds from spouting forth. Pitch simply shook his head and chuckled.

"You know, if you want to scream..." he purred, tormenting your breast with his other hand. "...Maybe you should,"

As he said this, you caught a glimpse of the true entity inside him. Behind those eyes lurked a primal, hotblooded man who looked to be on the very brink of oblivion himself. Knowing what you had seen within, Pitch knew that all he had to do now was tweak the position of his fingers a little and, if he wore the right expression, he could undo you with just a look.

And that was exactly what he did.

Cocking his head slightly to one side, throwing in the mere suggestion of a raised eyebrow, and smirking at you while regarding you with slightly lidded eyes, you quivered as though an earthquake was shaking your very core. Your pleasure was first voiced as a small cry, before it was amplified as a scream. Apparently the little cry from before had not been enough to satisfy Pitch, so he'd squeezed your breast just that little bit tighter, somehow possessing the knowledge of what would drive you crazy even in mid-orgasm.

"Good girl," he rumbled, slowly withdrawing his fingers from you in an upwards motion, taunting your womanhood in its state of heightened sensitivity and making you squirm uncontrollably. Your chest rose and fell in rapid succession, leaving you feeling as though you'd run a marathon. The way he praised you sent shivers down your spine, and to watch him now fuelled you with an even greater desire than before. He began calmly undressing himself, understanding that you would need a moment to catch your breath and recover from the intense manhandling he'd subjected you to.

Once fully undressed, you marvelled at the sight of him. He looked so slim with clothes on, but now you realised that it was his preference for black attire that gave him the appearance of a mere wisp of a man. Underneath his garments, however, he was still slim but rather toned and, you noted with ever-mounting interest, impressively hung.

"Are you ready, my dear?" he purred in a silken voice.

All you could do was nod eagerly in quick succession which seemed to please him greatly. Lowering his body to yours, he kissed you tenderly and lined himself up with you. As soon as he felt you relax underneath his weight he pushed himself in and paused in a desperate attempt to last. You cried softly out of want, wrapping your arms around his back and raising your legs a little to allow him more room to move. When he was certain that he wasn't going to spend immediately, he propped himself up on one arm and cupped your cheek with the other, pulling you in for a sweet kiss as he began to roll his hips into you. The sound of skin against skin almost had you on the edge again all on its own, and the sensation of having Pitch inside you brought you even closer.

Your lover pulled back a little before resting his forehead on yours, keeping his free hand resting on the back of your neck in an intimate gesture to go with your activities. Steadily he increased his pace, bringing his hips into contact with yours harder and more frequently. Your breaths came hard and matched the rhythm of his thrusting; each time he pounded into you another gasp of air rushed from your mouth. Pitch leaned in for one more quick kiss before raising himself to tower over you.

"Say my name," he growled, holding you down by the shoulders.

"A-ah...ah...P-Pitch..." you drawled, desperately trying to speak over your gasps for air.

He shook his head, confusing you slightly. He moved one hand to sit precariously over your throat. At the insinuation of what he would do if you didn't appease him, he felt your walls tighten a little around his hard shaft. "No," he said bluntly. "My  _real_ name,"

Your eyes grew wide momentarily, then realised why he was demanding this. "K-Kozmotis," you tried again. "Lord Pitchiner..."

His eyes fluttered closed and you watched as his neck seemed unable to support the full weight of his head. All of the blood had rushed there, flushing his otherwise grey cheeks pink. "Say it again..." he groaned.

You knew what it was doing to him, so you obliged. "My Lord...Lord Pitchiner..." The name came out as a reverent sigh, almost. You opted for his title and surname rather than his first, wondering if perhaps appealing to his ancient nobility would spark an even hotter fire in his heart.

"Ah...It...sounds so good, coming from you..."

His pace had grown frantic. He ploughed into you with such vigour that you thought he would break you soon. You wanted to see how far you could push him. As it turned out, he couldn't go on much longer.

"Oh...Yes! Yes, my Lord...Please..."

With a small yelp, Pitch came suddenly inside you, reintroducing you to the warm sensation of a man's seed filling you that you had not felt in the longest time. He slowly came to a stop, shaking as he supported himself above you, and looked deeply into your eyes.

"I haven't heard that name in so many years..." he mewled. "Even if I still have to live as Pitch Black...I wanted to feel like who I was before...A man who deserved to have the woman he loved saying his name..."

You smiled up at him. "I know," you said gently, surprising him. "I already knew from before that you just wanted love. I just...put two and two together and got four," you chuckled, reminding him of your banter back when he had taken you hostage. "It makes sense that you would want me to use your old name..."

Pitch smiled down at you in adoration, but you could see how tired he now was from exerting himself like he had. If there hadn't been a war to wage, he would surely have snuggled into you and fallen asleep right there and then. Just then, something dawned on you.

"Wait...Did you just say "the woman you love"?"

Pitch grinned cheekily at you. "Yes. Why?"

The smile that spread across your lips lit up your entire face before you leaned up to kiss him deeply.

He seemed to delight quietly in the gesture, and cupped your cheek before asking, "Shall I take that to mean that you feel the same?"

You nodded and continued to smile happily up at him, forcing from your mind the knowledge that you would soon have to return to the world beyond and continue the battle. You just didn't feel it in your heart anymore...

The pair of you stayed like that for a few minutes longer, basking in each other's presence. The fact that you had to part, though, cast a shadow over your good mood.

"I suppose it's time..." you whispered with a tinge of sadness in your voice. You didn't want to sound so upset that it might rub off on Pitch. You knew he'd have a heavy heart as it was...

Pitch nodded slightly, climbing off you and magically willing his clothes back to his body. He offered you his hand which you took, and pulled you up from the chaise, still naked. He drew you into his arms and held you tightly, kissing you over and over before finally bringing himself to speak.

"Promise me something," he murmured.

"Of course..."

"When we face each other again, remember that this wasn't a dream..."

You wondered why he said it like that, when all of a sudden you found yourself back on a rooftop, fully clothed, and without a clue as to what just happened.

Pitch's words resounded in your mind, and as you gazed out across town a cold wind whipped over the roofs and blasted straight through you. You still felt the throbbing in your heart and the satisfaction he'd brought you, though. You questioned whether everything that happened  _had_ been a dream, but you remembered that seemingly not five seconds ago you had made a promise to Pitch.

You wouldn't forget what had just happened, not for as long as you lived.

And you would bear all of this in mind when you saw him again. You knew that this would be soon.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the long awaited NSFW chapter!
> 
> I can conclude that my experience with writing this chapter has been a good advocate for incognito mode...


	9. Fear Itself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself standing alone in the snow, after spending what seemed like several hours in the warm embrace of your lover, your lord, your Prince of Darkness...Pitch Black. Down below, your friends are gathering in the street, rallying against him. You are morally obligated to join them.
> 
> How will you fare now that you must help defeat him, so soon after accepting his love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies!
> 
> Are we all ready for the showdown?

You gazed down at the scene unfolding in the street below. The snow continued to fall but it was much lighter than it had been earlier. Everything was muffled still and you could only  _just_ hear the sounds of people talking down there. You sighed gently to yourself and enveloped the top half of your body in your own arms, both for warmth and comfort.

You missed those things greatly now that you were by yourself.

The night was steadily getting darker, though.  _Still._ Pitch was nearby, you knew, and this was confirmed by the sudden laughter you heard coming from one of the other rooftops nearby. Unable to make out which one it was, you looked to your friends and followed their line of sight, right to where Pitch sat astride a Nightmare yet again. This time, though, he looked  _far_ more menacing. Before, he had been a teddy bear in comparison to now. You still loved him, despite his malevolent presence--you craved his touch, longed for his embrace, ached for his kiss. But now would be the optimal time to rejoin your group and take a stand.

You weren't afraid of Pitch, of course. You never would be, now. But you didn't like to see other people trembling before a man who you knew possessed a gentle and caring heart. You lifted off from your lookout point and floated down to your comrades, their little outfit now complete with a group of Jaime's friends ready to take the fight to Pitch.

Even as he spoke, taunting the Guardians and the children, you could feel Pitch's eyes resting on you as you went to them. You felt guilty, and he would know that. In the still-lit street you glowed very noticeably, but considerably dimmer than before. Everyone noticed, including Pitch, because he knew that as badly as you wanted to help defend your friends, you also wished you could stand beside him now. Toothiana was the first among your friends to approach you, as usual.

"There you are, Wish!" she whispered, pulling you aside while the others squared up to the enemy. "Where have you been?" She gasped, then, at something that had clearly suddenly dawned on her. "He didn't catch you again, did he?"

You glanced down at the road, streaked here and there with snow. It had been blown across by the occasional winds that swept through the town that night, and glittered under the streetlamps. She seemed to notice your apprehension and growled savagely.

"I am gonna  _kill_ him!" she snarled.

"No, Tooth...Don't worry about it. I just...bought you some time, that's all," you told her as gently as you could. The thought of any of the Guardians actually trying to  _kill_ Pitch left you with a sickeningly heavy feeling in your stomach. He was bad, but he wasn't  _that_ bad. In your time spent watching your friends assemble in the street, you had been rationalising and justifying all sorts of reasons you could come up with for sparing Pitch's life, or at least dealing him minimal damage.

Not to mention your inability to deny your attraction towards him...

As you said this to her, Toothiana regarded you with a strange expression, despite remaining sympathetic to you. Your lips were still slightly swollen from the thorough ravaging Pitch gave them, and the thought of your friend quietly scrutinising your plea not to hurt him caused a very unhelpful blush to creep into your cheeks.

Toothiana gasped almost inaudibly as she came to her conclusion. "Oh my gosh..." she murmured, bringing a hand to cover her mouth which now hung slightly agape in shock. You looked at her in fear and shook your head adamantly.

"No...Please! Don't tell the others yet," you begged, looking her straight in the eyes. You knew that she knew what had happened. It wouldn't have taken a genius, after all, and certainly not your best friend. She knew you better than most. "I promise you: I am still on your side. Make no mistake,"

Her wings fluttered nervously and her rosy eyes were wide with concern, but you soon discovered why this was. "He didn't trick you, did he?" she whispered in a rush. Clearly she was searching for any reason to destroy him for seducing you.

"No," you answered honestly, placing a cool hand on her arm. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing with him,"

This seemed to soothe her, and assuage her fears about what had happened between you and Pitch. Her sunny smile quickly returned to her face and you both turned to face the music, hand in hand.

Pitch seemed to have finished talking now, and had clearly had enough of the show of bravery displayed by the children now stood defending the Guardians. It seemed that Pitch's new enemy, the thing standing between him and his goal of erasing all children's belief in the Guardians, was the group of children itself.

"Still think there's no such thing as the Boogeyman?!" he shouted. As he did so, he sent forth all of his Nightmares and an enormous cascade of black sand came rolling towards your group, smashing lights and enveloping the town as it came barrelling down. Jaime, who courageously stood at the very front of the group, spoke out against Pitch.

"I do believe in you. I'm just not afraid of you,"

Still the sands came, hurtling towards you all and even knocking parked cars out of the way. Seeing what was about to happen, you made to step in front of everyone and stop him yourself when suddenly Jaime put out a hand to protect himself and the black sand burst into gold, lighting up the world around you. You looked on in wonder and bewilderment, unable at first to comprehend what was happening. The children all gasped and laughed in delight, seeing what Jaime had caused, and all around you your friends started to regain their spirit and energy. Tooth flew off at high speed, North was returned to full strength, and as you heard a desperate cry from Pitch to his Nightmares to get them to attack again, Bunnymund fled underneath another parked car only to be whisked out at full size by one of the King of Nightmares' dark minions.

You watched through eyes full of joy as your friends were finally able to begin fighting back against Pitch's onslaught, and you followed hotly on Toothiana's tail as she flew straight for the roof where Pitch was, now being attacked by Jack. Ice and darkness shot everywhere, and just as Jack rounded a corner Pitch threw a brutally sharp spear of malicious energy straight at him, only to be knocked off-course by the Tooth Fairy. As you flew by, you fired a single shot of pure white stardust at Pitch which he almost failed to deflect. You could not compromise the battle because of your relationship, nor could you compromise the relationship itself by going easy on him--if Bunnymund, North or Jack found out at this point, you knew that it would cause a very costly distraction and damage your friendships with them at  _best._

Bunnymund popped up suddenly from the chimney just behind Pitch, flinging his boomerangs expertly to hit him. Still riding one of the Nightmares, Pitch avoided the strike but Bunnymund's boomerangs wiped out several of the other Nightmares standing in a row behind him. Pitch wheeled his mount about and, dodging further attacks from the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny, he leapt from the roof only to have his horse knocked out from under him in a flurry of glittering black sand by North who, despite ending up on the wrong roof entirely, still managed to launch himself towards the action and still turn his blunder into a constructive and tactical battle strike.

Like a cat, Pitch dropped down to the road below and landed squarely on his feet. North ran at him, wielding both of his swords both in offence and defence as Pitch conjured a hideously vicious-looking scythe from his dark sand, swinging it ferociously time and again at North until the latter tripped and fell. Your heart caught in your throat as you rushed to help North, thinking that Pitch was about to defeat him once and for all, when suddenly Bunnymund leapt out of nowhere and attacked once again. Pitch fought him off with a degree of finesse, although encumbered by the enormous weapon in his hands, but Jack jumped out from behind him and simply kicked him back, causing him to stagger. Pitch looked on to see you hovering beside the Guardians as they squared up to him at full strength.

He would have had to have been a fool to think that he wasn't in trouble, now.

"It's over, Pitch," said Jack as he came a little bit closer, backing him into a short alleyway and up against a wall. "There's nowhere left to hide,"

Pitch, still wielding his ghastly scythe, laughed at Jack's naivete. Clearly the boy had forgotten who he was speaking to. The scythe vanished from Pitch's grasp and he chuckled evilly as he dissolved into the shadows, looming up against another wall in the form of a silhouette, before finally reappearing right behind Jack fully prepared to dispatch him with that awful weapon of his. Bunnymund tried to go to Jack's rescue although he was too far away, so he simply threw his boomerang again. Pitch knocked it away without any effort at all, and Jack turned to stare in horror at the very thing that was about to kill him. You rushed to his aid, but found that the threat had been considerably lessened by a new, sudden turn of events...

A golden tendril of sand wrapped its way around Pitch's wrist, yanking him sharply up and over the overturned school bus behind him with a scream. You looked on in confusion, while the others' faces lit up with pure happiness. Beyond the school bus, and up a slight hill, the Sandman reappeared before Pitch and the children now standing just behind. Pitch looked on in terror, realising how futile his fight was becoming. You rushed over to the scene with the others, anxious to find out what was going on, and watched with a mixture of emotions as "Sandy", as they called him, delivered a swift punch to Pitch's face, sending him soaring up into the air while still bound by the wrist to the Sandman's magic. It appeared to be a ridiculously powerful punch too, for such a little man. Sandy then gave another quick tug on the rope, bringing Pitch crashing down to sleep in the snowy grass.

You glanced over at him, seeing the little sandy butterflies flitting around his head. You knew that when you had that effect cast upon you, there were little stars dancing around your head. You felt guiltier than you cared to dwell on, and returned your attention to the joyous reunion occurring in front of you. The Guardians hugged and fussed over Sandy, with North picking him up and tossing him into the air occasionally. It filled your heart with warmth to see everyone so happy, and back to normal. Almost.

Sandy rose up into the air on a golden cloud and released his magics into the town. More tendrils of golden sand snaked their way across to the homes of every child, blessing them once more with the best of dreams and most restful of slumbers. You smiled to yourself, delighting in everything going on around you. A snowball fight broke out between the jubilant children and Guardians, and the Sandman conjured sandy dreams of all kinds to roam about the town. Enormous dinosaurs strode over land, manta rays sailed by in the air, and a few of the children found great joy in transforming one of Pitch's remaining Nightmares into a prancing golden unicorn.

_This_ , you thought, was what childhood was all about. Fun, happiness, and wonder.

Maintaining a careful distance, you turned your gaze towards North wrapping Jack up in a hearty embrace and watched fondly as they laughed together. You saw the hulking Russian pressing something into the young man's hand, but what it was you were unsure of. Seemingly lost in the moment, you did not hear Toothiana sneaking up behind you, but you became acutely aware of her presence when she pressed (rather than threw) a very large and particularly frosty snowball into the back of your head. You squealed from the intense cold, almost giving you brain-freeze, whirling around and playfully swatting her away. She laughed and came back to pull you into a firm, friendly hug.

"We did it, Wish!" she cheered. "They believe in us again! We couldn't have done it if not for you..."

You instantly lowered your eyes to the snowy ground. Deep down you wanted to believe her words, but it just wasn't meant to be. "I've been nothing but a distraction, and a liability," you whispered sadly. "What happened here tonight...It happened because of--,"

"Us," Toothiana interrupted, stooping down to look up into your downcast eyes. "We  _all_ did it..."

"But all I've done is get captured and make a nuisance of myself,"

"Wish, getting captured bought us time. And we  _all_ saw the difference in Pitch before Sandy caught him just now. He was weaker... _You_ weakened him. Maybe in a couple of ways..."

You looked up properly, worried about the insinuation. All your friend did was smile happily at you. There were no grudges and no hard feelings about your personal relationship with Pitch. It gave you hope that if Toothiana felt this way then so too would the others...Maybe.

Everyone's attention was drawn suddenly to a kerfuffle occurring just behind you all. You turned to see Pitch brushing snow from his clothing and angrily turning this way and that, riled to see everyone having such a good time. "You dare to have fun in my presence?!" he shouted in a vain attempt to be heard above the pandemonium of playing children. "I am the Boogeyman and you will fear me!"

You watched with mixed emotions again as Pitch approached one of the children, clearly intending to frighten them when they turned around. Those mixed feelings turned to a solid state of pity for him, though, when the child turned and ran straight through him. They couldn't hear him...They couldn't see him...

You stood with the Guardians and stared at him. The others looked surprised, even shocked, but your eyes held nothing but sadness for him. He saw this, but in his own frazzled state of mind he simply turned with a horrified expression and fled the scene. Without paying another thought to what your friends would make of your behaviour, you made sure  _you_ were the first one to chase after Pitch. He was quick on his feet, slipping only occasionally on the icy road as he made for the woods, but now the Guardians were in pursuit and managed to head him off as he tried to run across the frozen lake near the clearing where he had first captured you.

He ran smack into North's stomach, falling back onto the thick ice and scrambling desperately away but the Guardians all loomed above him as the new morning light brightened around you. You felt  _guilty_ for siding against Pitch, but you knew you'd have felt just as bad for siding against your friends after all you'd recently been through together, and for them. Pitch, at that moment, looked so afraid and so out-of-place that all you wanted was to pull him into your arms and hold him tight.

Pitch glanced at you, and in that split second you saw all of his emotions laid bare--his fear, his anger, his sadness...and his love for you. He wanted your help, but continued to defend your relationship by pretending like nothing had happened. He remained apart from you because of your differences, and the fact that he loved you was the reason why he needed to stay away right now...You realised this, simply from holding his gaze.

That, and nobody had seen Pitch Black's heart in the longest time...No one but you.

"Leaving the party so soon?" asked North with his hands on his hips. He wore a stern expression, and you knew that this wasn't going to be nice for Pitch.

Toothiana rose up into the air from beside him, and the look on her face was almost savage with the angry glint in her pink eyes and tiny, wicked grin on her lips. "You didn't even say goodbye,"

She flicked something over to Pitch, which he caught effortlessly in his left hand. He looked up with incredulity, informing everyone of what it was that he now held. "A quarter?"

He was blinded momentarily by a searing white light as she rushed up and punched him square in the face, knocking a tooth out. You flinched instinctively, wanting to go to his aid but knowing that he had this coming, at the very least. Your sympathies lay in the fact that he wasn't believed in now, and  _that_ caused him more pain than you wanted to imagine.

"And that's for my fairies," said Tooth, shaking her hand to alleviate the ache that came from clouting him so hard in the jaw. She looked pleased with herself, but when she returned to the group she turned her attention briefly to you. In that simple look, she both apologised and told you, in no uncertain terms, that the punch had been for her best friend as well.

Pitch hurriedly scrambled to his feet, looking from one Guardian to the next. "You can't get rid of me! Not forever. There will always be fear," He looked frighteningly arrogant as he said this, sending a chill up your spine.

"So what?" said North with contempt. "As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear,"

Pitch looked less than impressed as a derogatory smirk spread across his face. "Really? Then what are they doing here?" he said in a sinister voice, gesturing broadly to the rising numbers of Nightmares gathering on the banks of the lake. You, and the Guardians, all turned to look at their swirling black forms, standing out so drastically against the white landscape.

North let loose a hearty chuckle. "They can't be my Nightmares. I'm not afraid,"

Everyone else seemed to agree. Your heart sank with sadness for Pitch, seeing his expression drop as it did. All of his confidence suddenly drained out of him as the realisation dawned that nobody was  _scared_.

"Looks like it's your fear they smell," said Jack with a smirk. You were feeling worse and worse by the second, and Toothiana saw your face crumple.

As Jack spoke, the Nightmares all rushed Pitch, chasing him back across the lake towards the trees. Your heart was breaking, without a doubt, and you found that you couldn't stand back and watch this unfold any longer.

Your power seemed beyond your control now as you began to glow brighter than you had in a long time, and that power grew until, at long last, it erupted from within you as a flurry of bright white magical light, eliminating the Nightmares.

* * *

 Everyone  _stared_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must confess, I have had my worries about this chapter as I knew that it would end up being bulked out by a good portion of the end of the movie...Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it for what it was! Much love to you all <3


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